Immigration Resources

    Learn about the Impact of COVID-19 on the U.S. Immigration System

    To keep its members informed during this time, the Commission on Immigration has been compiling summaries of developments in the immigration system related to COVID-19. The latest summaries can be found below. This page will be updated weekly.

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    New Resource: Tu Futuro, Tu Voz

    The ABA Commission on Immigration is proud to share the video: Tu Futuro, Tu Voz (Your Future, Your Voice), featuring four young adults from Central America who crossed into the United States as unaccompanied minors. This video was created as a resource for youth who are currently undergoing immigration proceedings, and the lawyers who represent them.

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    Shutting Doors: How the US is Poised to End Asylum & Turn Its Back on the Persecuted

    Jun 23, 2020 | Recent Webinar

    The US Government has just proposed regulations that would eviscerate the current U.S. asylum system, making it effectively impossible for people fleeing persecution to obtain protection in the United States. If implemented, among other acute concerns, the rule would eliminate gender based asylum - shutting the door to anyone fleeing life-threatening persecution due to their gender, while undoing decades of legal precedent. Women fleeing rape and severe domestic violence, LGBTQ+ individuals facing deadly attacks, and those escaping other fatal gender-based harms in their home countries would no longer be able to find safety in the U.S. if the regulations take effect.

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    Featured Resources

    New and Updated for 2018: Unaccompanied Children's Standards

    The ABA Commission on Immigration is excited to share its August 2018 update to the Standards for the Custody, Placement and Care; Legal Representation; and Adjudication of Unaccompanied Alien Children in the United States. This update was accomplished with significant collaboration from Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights, Children’s Immigration Law Academy (CILA), Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC), ABA Center on Children and the Law, ABA Working Group on Unaccompanied Minor Immigrants, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, and many others. The purpose of this resource is to establish best practices and to provide commentary and citations for further reference. If you would like to order a hard copy, please contact Nicole Gasmen at nicole.gasmen@americanbar.org.

    Immigration Webinar Series

    The ABA Section on Civil Rights and Social Justice's Rights of Immigrants Committee is hosting a six-part national lecture series exploring immigration at the intersection of national security law, public international law and US constitutional law, among other legal areas. During these free webinars, legal scholars, practitioners and political commentators will address this deepening crises in our collective pursuit advancing law and justice. Effective action begins with knowledge and proper understanding.

    Resources from the Commission on Immigration

    Publications

    Publications by the American Bar Association's Commission on Immigration

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    Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

    Community and government resources providing information about Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

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    ABA Civil Immigration Detention Standards

    In August 2012, the ABA House of Delegates adopted the ABA Civil Immigration Detention Standards, which outline how a truly civil immigration detention system should look and operate, with the goal of offering a framework for reforming the current immigration detention system, particularly in areas of concern to the ABA.

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    Related Organizations

    This list, while not exhaustive, links to other organizations in the immigration advocacy community, which can assist in learning more about immigration and pro bono issues.

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    Other Resources

    Suggestions?

    This list of resources, while not exhaustive, will assist you in learning more about immigration and pro bono issues. Do you know of other relevant sites of interest? Please contact us. We welcome your suggestions.

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