American Immigration Lawyers Association

History

Originally called the Association of Immigration and Nationality Lawyers, the association was founded on October 14, 1946 by a group of 19 immigration lawyers and professionals in Manhattan, New York. Twelve of the association founders had recently worked for the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and saw an opportunity to use their professional standing "to elevate the standard and reputation of the practitioner appearing before the Immigration Service." Josh Koenigsberg served as the first president of the association with Gaspare Cusumano as vice president, Anita Streep as secretary, and Daniel Caputi as treasurer.

In 1982, the association established a national headquarters in Washington, D.C., and it was renamed the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

By 1985, the association had 1,800 members; a three-fold increase from 1975. , there were more than 15,000 AILA members in 39 chapters in the United States and across the world. The AILA has attorneys from more than 58 countries, including in North America, South America, Africa, and parts of Europe.

Publications

AILA Publications is the publishing arm of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. It publishes information and analysis serving the practicing immigration lawyer and those in need of immigration law information. It is the publisher of notable titles including Kurzban's Immigration Law Sourcebook, Immigration Consequences of Criminal Activity, AILA's Asylum Primer, Litigating Immigration Cases in Federal Court, Representing Clients in Immigration Court, and Essentials of Immigration Law.

American Immigration Council

The American Immigration Council is a Washington, D.C.–based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and advocacy group that is a subsidiary of AILA. It was established in 1987, originally as the American Immigration Law Foundation. In 2021, the New American Economy merged into the council.

Immigration Impact, "the only news site exclusively committed to covering immigration issues", is a project of the council.

References

References

1. "[http://www.aila.org/about/leadership/excom Executive Committee]". ''American Immigration Lawyers Association''. Retrieved January 2022.
2. "[http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2016/237/085/2016-237085097-0e27c33e-9O.pdf Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax]". ''American Immigration Lawyers Association''. [[Guidestar]]. December 31, 2016.
3. "About AILA". American Immigration Lawyers Association.
4. "About AILA".
5. "Remembering Edward L. Dubroff". American Immigration Law Foundation.
6. Levin, Leslie (2010). "[http://ir.stthomas.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1251&context=ustlj Specialty Bars as a Site of Professionalism: The Immigration Bar Example]. ''University of St. Thomas Law Journal'', Vol. 8(2), p. 201.
7. (2006) "About AILA: Sixty Years of Service, Sixty Years of Excellence". ''Immigration Law Today'' Vol. 25(5), p.8.
8. Serrill, Michael S.. (July 8, 1985). "A Booming But Tainted Specialty". [[Time magazine.
9. "AILA Publications". American Immigration Lawyers Association.
10. (2026-01-13). "Immigration Law Research Guide: Secondary Sources".
11. "How can I get access to Kurzban's Immigration Law Sourcebook and more resources on immigration?".
12. {{ProPublicaNonprofitExplorer. 521549711. American Immigration Council
13. Chappell, Bill. (7 May 2014). "Report Details Hundreds Of Complaints Against U.S. Border Agents". NPR.
14. Gladstone, Rick. (14 January 2016). "Research Doesn't Back a Link Between Migrants and Crime in U.S.". The New York Times.
15. Partlow, Joshua. (16 January 2017). "U.S. border officials are illegally turning away asylum seekers, critics say". The Washington Post.
16. Warner, Judith. (2010). "U.S. Border Security: A Reference Handbook". ABC-CLIO.
17. (2021-12-03). "American Immigration Council and New American Economy Announce Merger".
18. "About".
19. (September 15, 2025). "LibGuides: Immigration & Asylum Resources: Immigration-Related Organizations & Blogs".