As a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association Technology Committee, I have had the opportunity to preview AILA’s complete revamping of its web site. The site (http://www.aila.org) is now open to the public and this spring the AILA Infonet, the Compuserve bulletin board service for AILA members, will migrate to the web as a private access section of the AILA site.
The site is divided into sections of interest to the general public, to potential AILA members and to existing AILA members.
Non-lawyers will probably be most interested in the sections entitled “About Immigration” and “About Immigration Lawyers” as well as the American Immigration Law Foundation site. The “About Immigration” contains an essay on immigration and a section deflating a number of myths about immigration. “About Immigration Lawyers” is a consumer guide to determining whether to hire an immigration lawyer and how to choose a particular immigration lawyer.
The “About Immigration” section also links to the American Immigration Law Foundation web site (http://www.ailf.org). AILF, a public charitable organization, is sister to AILA. AILF focuses its functions in three areas:
– The AILF Legal Action Center, which engages in impact litigation and acts as amicus curiae in other cases involving due process and fundamental fairness of U.S. immigration law and administration (see the article later in this issue on some of AILF’s current activities).
– Public education activities designed to improve the American public’s understanding of immigration law and the value of immigration to the society and economy.
– Services to promote excellence in immigration practice, such as awards for scholarly writing on immigration legal topics, and scholarships for continuing legal education activities.
The AILF site contains a number of Policy Reports on immigration issues. The following reports are available on the site:
– The “Projected Increase” In Immigration
– Immigration And Job Creation Cypress Semiconductor: A Case Study
– Two New Studies Address Taxes Paid By Immigrants
– The Economic Consensus on Immigration
– Sibling Immigration Benefits US: Raises Skill Levels And Entrepreneurship And Is Closely Connected To Employment-Based Immigration
– Political Asylum: House And Senate Bills Differ And One Man’s Story On Why It Matters
– Highly Questionable DOL Audit Report Provides No Context For Its Conclusions
– By the Numbers: Understanding the Immigration System
– Children Of Immigrants Show The Way
– Job Creation And Immigration Chip Express: A Case Study
– Controversial New Income Requirement For Sponsors To Be Decided In House-Senate Immigration Conference
– Birth Certificate And Driver’s License Design Requirements At Issue In House-Senate Immigration Conference
– A Short History of U.S. Immigration Policy
– Immigration And Job Creation – Xerox PARC: A Case Study
The AILA site contains a links page and documents collection that will be of interest to both immigration professionals and the general public. The documents collection is listed under the title “National Affairs” and is divided into four sections – Legislative Affairs, Regulatory Affairs, Media and Public Affairs, and Educational Outreach. The Legislative Affairs section contains information and news on Congressional legislation and events occurring on Capitol Hill. The full text of major immigration laws can also be found here. The Regulatory Affairs section is described as being the source for information on recent changes in immigration and immigration-related procedures from Federal government agencies, such as the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), and important court decisions. The Media and Public Affairs section contains AILA press releases, statements and information sheets for use by organizations, community groups and the media. And the Educational Outreach contains Fact Sheets and Question & Answers on the latest developments in immigration law and practice.
For prospective AILA members, the site contains extensive information on the organization and details on requirements for joining. While an online membership is not available, an e-mail link is provided in order to request an application.
For existing AILA members, in addition to all of the other information already mentioned, the site contains a directory of AILA chapters and information on AILA conferences. AILALink CD subscribers can also download the latest updates from the web site. The AILALink CD contains various AILA Books and Handbooks, the text of AILA Monthly Mailings, Primary Source Materials and AILA Information.
The most exciting addition to the site will no doubt be the AILA Infonet. The highly popular Compuserve forum for AILA members will now be on the web. That means AILA members who have Internet access through providers other than Compuserve will now be able to access Infonet without having to pay Compuserve a membership fee. In addition to all of the features currently on Infonet, the web Infonet promises to allow the following:
– Select an Internet Service Provider (ISP) of your choice
– Get on-line registration forms for AILA conferences around the U.S.
– Purchase AILA publications
– Renew your AILA membership on-line
– Update your AILA subscriptions
– Support AILA’s Advocacy efforts from your computer
– Access on-line conferences and other “Members Only” Updates
– Link to other Internet resources
According to AILA, certain current InfoNet features are being expanded:
– Enhanced Document Library with full-text and customized searching
– Improved on-line Message Center with chat, message boards and discussion forums to share information and advice with AILA’s over 5,200 members
– A new Government Outreach Center for contacting various government officials to voice your position on key immigration issues
As a member of AILA’s Technology Committee, I would be happy to collect comments on the AILA site and pass them on to the Technology Committee.
Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided as a public service and not intended to establish an attorney client relationship. Any reliance on information contained herein is taken at your own risk.