We the Immigration Lawyers - ABA Journal

ABA Journal, Aug. 1, 2024

"Immigrants coming to the U.S. face legal uncertainties along with difficult living conditions and the pain of family separations. Yet a hope that opportunities will outweigh the travails is strong with many new arrivals. That's something lawyers who help immigrants understand well—including those who are immigrants themselves. Some of them came to the United States with scant resources and developed an understanding of what it's like to be a child moving to a new home dramatically different than the one they left. They also understand the frustrations. There is a sense that if you don't have experience doing immigration work, the system is almost impossible to understand—even if you are a lawyer. Backlogs in both detention centers and immigration courts are a significant concern, as is access to lawyers. And while the problems are often blamed on the government, one immigration court judge says counsel are sometimes responsible for creating inefficiencies in the process. Part of his job, he says, is to keep things moving. We've talked to nine lawyers and judges about their experiences with the U.S. immigration system. Here are their stories."

Sonal J. Mehta Verma