Legalization

Mission

The mission of the American Immigration Council is to strengthen America by honoring our immigrant history and shaping how Americans think and act towards immigration now and in the future.

The American Immigration Council exists to promote the prosperity and cultural richness of our diverse nation by:

• Educating citizens about the enduring contributions of America’s immigrants. 
• Standing up for sensible and humane immigration policies that reflect American values.   
• Insisting that our immigration laws be enacted and implemented in a way that honors fundamental constitutional and human rights. 
• Working tirelessly to achieve justice and fairness for immigrants under the law. 

The American Immigration Council believes that the dignity of the individual knows no boundary.  Our nation’s moral and ethical values must be reflected in the way we welcome immigrants.

Our motto is: Honoring our immigrant past; shaping our immigrant future.

More About Us

Browse our new organizational brochure!

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Matthew Baxter, Former Council Ambassador, AILA Chapter Chair, Colleague and Friend

On September 15, 2011, Philadelphia AILA member Matthew Baxter passed away from complications of liver disease. He was 53 years old.

Philadelphia’s AILA chapter treasured Matthew as a person who made membership in the association worthwhile. He took on many roles for the Philadelphia Chapter, serving as a Chapter Officer and Chapter Chair, committee chair, mentor, speaker and friend. He was always willing to teach his fellow members, whether at a CLE, on a phone call, or in the hallway outside immigration court. He was deeply involved with education, advocacy and practice support. He served as Chapter Liaison to USCIS and EOIR, working tirelessly on behalf of the Chapter and cooperatively with the agencies to develop solutions to everyday challenges.

He also served two years as Ambassador for the American Immigration Council (AIC), formerly known as AILF. He was a model Ambassador, raising awareness about the organization and its work, touting the accomplishments of the Legal Action Center and Immigration Policy Center, promoting the Creative Writing Contest, attending events as a representative of the AIC and raising money for the organization. His work, his drive and his commitment as an Ambassador helped strengthen the AIC.

Matthew cared deeply about his clients and doing the best job possible for them. His cases were meticulously prepared and elegantly argued. He loved the law and he understood how to use it as a tool for justice.Read more...

Justice Alma L. López was born in Laredo, Texas on August 17, 1943, and was raised and educated in San Antonio, Texas. Justice López was appointed to the Fourth Court by Governor Ann Richards in October 1993, becoming the first Hispanic woman to serve on the Fourth Court of Appeals and the first Hispanic woman to serve as Chief Justice in the State of Texas. She was elected to a full term of six (6) years on November 8, 1994, taking office on January 1, 1995. She was re-elected to a second term in November 2000.

Justice López graduated from St. Mary’s University with a B.B.A. in 1965 and from St. Mary’s Law School with a J.D. in 1968. Justice López practiced law for twenty-five years, twenty of those as a sole practitioner prior to being appointed to the Court.

Justice López is the recipient of many awards including the Award for Outstanding Achievement from the Mexican American Bar Association in 1998. She was inducted into the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame for Public Service in 2002 and received the National Association of Women Lawyers President’s Award for Excellence in 2004. She is listed in the Who’s Who Among Outstanding Americans.Read more...