We have created a FAQ page to explain key immigration terms and issues. Navigate to FAQs to find important information about the immigration system, asylum and other forms of relief, what happens at the border, and more.
This new COI explainer describes why legal representation is crucial for unaccompanied children in immigration court proceedings. Attorneys help children navigate complex applications for relief, ensuring they understand their rights and options. Without attorneys, children face significant challenges in participating in their cases, leading to unfair outcomes and increased vulnerability to trafficking and exploitation. Legal representation makes the process more efficient and helps judges more easily adjudicate cases, promoting due process and safeguarding children's rights.
The Trump Administration seeks to eliminate federal funding for certain types of immigration work which directly impacts many immigration legal service providers. The likely result of federal funding elimination is that some legal service offices will be forced to close, while others will have to reduce staff to sustain operations. This Practice Advisory highlights and offers ideas to address the ongoing and unique ethical considerations for immigration practitioners at all levels of staff and for organizations as a whole. The Advisory overviews duties to existing clients, new and prospective clients, and the availability of withdrawal as an option and includes relevant ABA Formal Ethics Opinions as appendices.
The Trump Administration's recent changes to immigration detention policy have prompted concerns and queries from practitioners and advocates trying to access potential clients and unrepresented individuals held in detention facilities. This Practice Advisory offers practitioners the tools to navigate meeting or speaking with individuals held in a variety of immigration detention settings. It orients practitioners on how to access non-clients and how to advocate for access where obstacles arise.
The U.S. southern border has been the subject of a great deal of scrutiny by policy makers, legislators, the federal judiciary, and the media. This primer aims to provide a broad introduction to the various current and past enforcement mechanisms employed at the U.S. southern border. Given the many recent and anticipated changes since the inauguration, we have updated the Primer with a short insert highlighting the current state of policies impacting border enforcement. Major contributions were given by Commission members Denise Gilman, Melissa Crow, Deena Sharuk, as well as Commission staff.
We are proud to present another explainer video by COI Senior Legal Advisor Deena Sharuk on the Administration's executive actions to benefit mixed-status families and provide visas to those who graduated from U.S. colleges and universities. Find out who may be eligible, how they can prepare, and the potential impact these executive actions will have on qualifying immigrants. Remember, there is no application process available yet! Speak to a qualified immigration attorney or DOJ Accredited Representative if you have questions. More details will become available over the next few months.
Watch this explainer video created by COI Senior Legal Advisor Deena Sharuk that provides basic information about the Administration's “Proclamation on Securing the Border” and its impact on asylum-seekers. Learn about how this executive action is being implemented at the U.S. southern border, who it applies to, and how it is being challenged in court.
Across the United States every day, hundreds of thousands of migrants find themselves in de facto detention due to electronic monitoring. A global positioning (GPS) device affixed to their ankle or a cellphone in their pocket with the SmartLINK application tracks their every move. The Government asserts that its use of electronic monitoring, as part of the Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program, is a cost-effective alternative to detaining migrants to ensure that they attend all their Immigration Court hearings, report as required for immigration check-in appointments, and submit to removal from the country, if so ordered. Despite the name, however, electronic monitoring programs are not true alternatives to detention. They are an expansion of detention that imposes a significant financial cost on taxpayers and a considerable human toll on the participants and their family members.
The ABA Commission on Immigration and the ABA Section of the Civil Rights and Social Justice hosted a webinar to offer up-to-date information on enforcement mechanisms at the southwest border including the implementation of the new, abbreviated removal process dubbed Circumvention of Lawful Pathways. Immigration enforcement at the U.S. southwest border has been an ongoing focal point for evolving policy and public discourse, but the manner in which the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) implements its enforcement actions at the border is often opaque.
We are excited to announce the release of our COI Diverse Voices of the Immigration Bar Video Series! The series focuses on lawyers who identify with the communities and clients whom they serve. The goal is to explore, through storytelling, diversity in immigration law; the challenges faced by diverse lawyers in this practice area; and advice about how to deal with these challenges. Through these videos, the Commission on Immigration hopes to contribute to normalizing a culture of openly discussing burnout and secondary trauma within law school settings, nonprofits, government agencies, and law firms.
This practice advisory is intended to orient practitioners navigating common obstacles in the representation of Afghan asylum-seekers in the United States. The advisory illuminates the complexities of these matters by discussing the historical context of the crises in Afghanistan, common types of Afghan asylum cases; commonly applied bars to asylum; potential ethical issues; considerations for Afghans arriving at the Southern border; and an appendix of tools and resources.
This resource was envisioned and drafted by COI Special Advisor Dora Schriro, to help inform practitioners who work with individuals in ICE detention centers about ICE detention standards. We are very proud to offer this resource because it does not only summarize the most salient detention standards, but it also provides useful information on how and where to make complaints when individuals’ rights are violated.
When a friend or family member is arrested and placed in immigration detention, it can be devastating. It is common for family and friends to wonder: What happens next? What are my loved one’s rights? What resources are available to help them? This guide describes Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) responsibilities to detained individuals.
Thousands of children must face immigration judges each year without appointed counsel. With representation, asylum seekers have a five times greater chance of winning their case. Follow the link for pro bono opportunities nationwide to support children. Funded by the Vera Institute of Justice, "Pro Bono Matters for Children Facing Deportation" allows lawyers to search and share available pro bono cases for unaccompanied children (UC) detained by the federal government or released to live with family members while in deportation proceedings.
The South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project (ProBAR) is a national effort to provide pro bono legal services to asylum seekers detained in South Texas by the United States government. The project recruits, trains and coordinates the activities of volunteer attorneys, law students and legal assistants.
The Immigration Justice Project (IJP) of San Diego seeks to promote due process and access to justice for indigent immigrants and asylum-seekers through the provision of high-quality pro bono legal services for individuals appearing before the San Diego immigration court and in subsequent appeals as needed.
The Children’s Immigration Law Academy (CILA), is an expert legal resource center created by the American Bar Association (ABA). CILA builds capacity for those working to advance the rights of children seeking protection through trainings, technical assistance, and collaboration.
The ABA Commission on Immigration is seeking talented law clerks and interns to assist in cutting-edge, individualized assistance to detainees held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
To help ensure America's commitment to justice for all, the American Bar Association Commission on Immigration has produced an updated version of "Know Your Rights," an educational video for the more than 400,000 men and women held in immigration detention facilities across the country each year.
Recognizing the challenge of delivering legal services to the tens of thousands of Afghan parolees who must apply for permanent status to remain in the United States, the American Bar Association has partnered with Villanova’s VIISTA program to fill the gap. This intensive training program prepares students to become accredited representatives and teaches them vital skills to represent clients before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Immigration Court. After the United States withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, tens of thousands of Afghans were evacuated to the United States. Today, there is a great need for culturally competent advocates who can communicate in Dari and Pashto and understand the realities facing this population.
The Commission on Immigration appreciates your donations that will help us to continue our work ensuring due process rights for the immigrant community. We thank you in advance for your generosity!
The Commission on Immigration provides many opportunities to make an impact through pro bono service. Click here to read more about the life-changing work done by our volunteers, and to learn more about available volunteer opportunities.
The Commission's projects in Texas and California are currently accepting applications for immigration-related positions.
Find contact information for the ABA Commission on Immigration
Center on Children and the Law
Center for Public Interest Law
Center for Human Rights
Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defense
Civil Rights and Social Justice
ABA media credentials are available to reporters, editors, producers, video camera operators and still photographers who present valid press identification
