AILA New England Chapter

PAIR Project NMD open asylum office hour
2024-05-08 12:00 - 13:00, 2024-06-12 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York)
The PAIR Project is delighted to offer New Members Division members monthly open asylum “office hours” hosted by PAIR’s Asylum Program staff – an open Zoom line that members can drop in on to ask questions, discuss their cases, and hear from others. You can drop in any time during the hour – no need to sign up or schedule ahead of time.

Office hours will be noon-1:00pm on the second Wednesday of each month beginning May 8th at:

https://zoom.us/j/95442321927
Meeting ID: 954 4232 1927

Understanding and combating Antisemitism
2024-05-09 18:00 - 19:30
“From Bias to Belonging: Fostering Inclusive Legal Environments” (May 2 and May 9):
“The AILA NY DEI Committee is delighted to announce this upcoming two-part series, co-sponsored with AILA National. The first session will focus on addressing Islamophobia and the second will focus on addressing Antisemitism. These events aim to equip our members with the knowledge and tools necessary to navigate sensitive issues, foster understanding, and promote inclusivity within the legal profession.

We hope that these events will be beneficial in providing valuable insights and strategies for understanding and combating prejudice and discrimination. Mark your calendars and join us for these important discussions where we hope to foster a more inclusive and equitable legal community. We will provide registration and Zoom information for both of these sessions in the coming week.”

Understanding and combating Islamophobia
Speaker: Dr. Daisy Khan
WISE, https://www.wisemuslimwomen.org/
Thursday, May 2, 2024 6:00 – 7:30pm EDT

Understanding and combating Antisemitism
Speaker: Oren Jacobson
Project Shema, https://www.projectshema.org/
Thursday, May 9, 2024 6:00 – 7:30pm EDT

Customs and Border protection issues brown bag
2024-05-14 12:00 - 13:00
Date: 05/14/2024
Time: 12:00
Title: Customs and Border protection issues
Speaker: Brian T. O’Neill, Sr., Esquire
What to expect: CBP update and expedited removal and criminal grounds of inadmissibility

Zoom Registration Link:
You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: May 14, 2024 12:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0pfuyurDgtHNyNdgoVJzoS26y9MT747pgV
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Chapter Meeting (In Person)
2024-05-16 16:00 - 18:30
Hi there,
You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: May 16, 2024 04:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://aila-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIvcu2urz4sHNIMvKKglgpfeVIwhkYkqpC7
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Brown Bag: Parole for ICE Detainees
2024-05-21 12:00 - 13:00
Date: May 21st
Time: 12 noon
Title: Parole for ICE Detainees
Speaker: Irene C. Freidel, Detention Program Manager, PAIR Project
What to expect: Learn about the parole process and requirements for obtaining the release of your client by ICE.
Zoom Registration Link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0vcO2srTgpH93Y-aqF-gQ-vL2mzaxmVfTv

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

CLE Brown Bag - Admin processing
2024-05-29 12:00 - 13:00
This will be a brown bag discussing Administrative Processing with Mahsa Khanbabai and Aleksandra Peryeva. They will discuss when to expect administrative processing, how to prepare the client, and how to deal with long delays that recently became even longer.

May 29, 2024 12:00 PM EST
Zoom link for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUtdu2uqj8iHdYUP95vBlV9DZvrhIsYH18l

Chapter Meeting (USCIS) (in person and online)
2024-06-20 17:00 - 18:30
Next Chapter Meeting: June 20, 2024 at MCLE
5:00 – 5:30 pm Business meeting (we will likely vote on the updated Bylaws per AILA National)
5:30 – 6:30 pm Main meeting – we are fortunate to have USCIS District 1-1- attending in-person. This is a rescheduled meeting from the previously cancelled April USCIS meeting. We were initially planning to have updates from the AILA National Conference, but we will hold a brown bag on this instead. Details on the brown bag forthcoming.
For the virtual option, register here

Roundtable on New Lowell Immigration Court (Virtual Session)
2024-06-25 12:00 - 13:00
Roundtable on New Lowell Immigration Court – Tuesday June 25 at 12-1 pm
Join the BBA Immigration Steering Committee and AILA NE CBO/Pro Bono Committee on this roundtable. Since the opening of the Lowell Immigration Court several months ago, many immigration practitioners have faced confusion and a lack of information. Please join us for a virtual roundtable to share experiences with and learn more about practicing in the Lowell Immigration Court. Potential topics include: immigration judges and hearing preferences; jurisdiction of the court; and challenges facing pro se respondents.
This will be a traditional roundtable — no PowerPoints, no speakers, just a space to share knowledge. Please note that to encourage an open discussion and given the constantly changing nature of immigration court practice, this roundtable will not be recorded.
Register at: https://bostonbar.my.site.com/LightningMemberPortal/s/lt-event?id=a1YRc000001DoxhMAC
AILA New England Members can register for free with the code “AILAMEM”.

Key Takeaways from AC24 (Virtual Session)
2024-06-25 13:00 - 14:00
Join us on Tuesday, June 25 at 1-2 pm EST for a virtual Brown Bag session on Key Takeaways from the 2024 Annual Conference in Chicago. Four of your New England colleagues will debrief on what they learned at the conference last week. We will have a half hour on employment topics and a half hour on humanitarian and removal topics. It will be helpful even if you attended the conference!
Register here for a Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUocOmgpj0vH9cnUWqzLzZ5IidKGVaNwfrB
Presenters:

Stefanie Fisher, Araujo & Fisher
Aimee Mayer-Salins, Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights Coalition
Nicole Gabree, Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy LLP
Amanda Gillespie, Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy LLP

Brown bag on Administrative Processing
2024-07-09 12:00 - 13:00
Join us on Tuesday, July 9 at 12 pm for a brown bag on administrative processing with Mahsa Khanbabai and Aleksandra Peryeva.
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUkc-CprT8pH9HW9hqmvxoD3GcwXNVomarp

PAIR Project Asylum Office Hours (New Members Division)
2024-07-10 12:00 - 13:00, 2024-08-14 12:00 - 13:00, 2024-09-11 12:00 - 13:00
The PAIR Project is delighted to offer New Members Division members monthly open asylum “office hours” hosted by PAIR’s Asylum Program staff – an open Zoom line that members can drop in on to ask questions, discuss their cases, and hear from others.

You can drop in any time during the hour – no need to sign up or pre-schedule
Office hours will be 12:00-1:00pm on the second Wednesday of each month
Join at https://zoom.us/j/95442321927, Meeting ID: 954 4232 1927

PERM Labor Certification Training (Virtual)
2024-07-12 15:00 - 18:00
Pathway for Immigrant Workers is a nonprofit helping local employers sponsor their lower-wage immigrant workers for a green card. We provide quarterly 3-hour training sessions, with the next one taking place on July 12th from 3-6pm.

We cover case assessment and eligibility, preparing the prevailing wage request, determining ability to pay, conducting recruitment, completing the 9089, audits, and filing the immigrant visa petition.
The training is geared towards the practitioner newer to the PERM process. All are welcome including removal defense attorneys and humanitarian/family immigration attorneys.
To sign-up, email Info@MyImmigrantPathway.org and include with Subject Line: “July 12 Training.”
See flyer for more details.

KIND Office Hour (Virtual)
2024-07-17 12:00 - 13:00, 2024-08-21 12:00 - 13:00, 2024-09-18 12:00 - 13:00
KIND Office Hours
Please join KIND Boston for a virtual hour at 12 pm EST to discuss issues on your cases surrounding representation of unaccompanied children, potential community referrals, and volunteer opportunities for those interested.

This is a recurring event on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 12 pm.
A member of KIND Boston’s Staff will be available for this hour each month for brainstorming and discussion.
Join at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89432923086, Meeting ID: 894 3292 3086

Open Discussion about PIP under Keeping Families Together
2024-08-29 12:00 - 13:00
Open Discussion about PIP under Keeping Families Together (hosted by the AILA NE CLE Committee)
Date/Time: Thursday August 29 at 12 noon
Join us for an open discussion and brainstorming session about Parole in Place under Keeping Families Together for an opportunity to share experiences, ask questions and strategize.
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIuf-yqqDssHtd1KctHiKYjJE6mlk0pLo2h

OPLA Engagement (Hybrid) in Scarborough, ME
2024-09-10 10:00 - 11:00
OPLA will hold a stakeholder engagement meeting in Maine on September 10, 2024, for Maine attorneys. Maine attorneys have raised issues that are unique to them, and OPLA wants to address those.

OPLA will hold an in-person stakeholder engagement meeting on Tuesday, September 10, at 10 AM at the ERO Portland office at 40 Manson Libby Road, Scarborough, ME.
Based on the size of ERO’s space, in-person attendance is limited to 15 people. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to julio@delolmolaw.com directly.
If OPLA receives interest significantly larger than 15 people, it will look into accommodating more people. With your RSVP, please send questions before September 4.
OPLA will also provide a Microsoft Teams link for remote attendance. OPLA wants to limit this event to Maine attorneys only.

Open Forum: Homeland Security Investigations & Enforcement and Removal Operations
2024-09-13 13:00 - 14:00
AILA NE is hosting an Open Forum virtual series on practicing before federal and state agencies in New England. Learn tips and tricks practicing before these agencies from the AILA NE experts who hold leadership roles on these Committees.

The first of the series will be held on September 13, 2024 at 1 pm EST.
It will be hosted by Homeland Security Investigations Committee Chair Annelise Araujo and Member Lindsay Rosenbaum as well as Enforcement & Removal Operations Committee Chair Jeannie Kain and Member Kira Gagarin.

Register here: https://aila-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJctduyurzwoGdLOrO6iWzhOEWtDsZ1DuH-v
Future installments of this series will include sessions with the following Committees:

USCIS
Asylum Office
EOIR
Customs & Border Protection
Registry of Motor Vehicle
Probate/Family Court.

This event is co-hosted by New Members Division. Both newer attorneys and experienced attorneys are encouraged to attend.

O-1, EB-1, and NIW Strategies In Advance of New Administration
2024-09-18 12:00 - 13:00
Regardless of the outcome of the presidential election, there will be a new administration. Speakers Erin Brummer (Veridian Immigration Partners) and MJ Lee (Law Office of MJ Lee) will discuss strategies on planning and filing achievement-based applications in an election year.

How should we talk to clients about this topic?
Should we rush to file these applications, or is it business as usual?
What are recent trends in adjudications?
Register here!

Wellbeing Roundtable (Election Anxiety Series)
2024-09-18 13:00 - 14:00
Feeling Emotionally Overwhelmed by Politics, Life or Whatever? You Have More Control Than You May Realize
Our emotional responses to external events can sometimes feel beyond our control, but new research in the neuroscience of emotions shows that you have more agency than you think.

Join Ken Mayeaux, a member of the AILA National Well-Being Committee, for an insightful discussion inspired by Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett’s “How Emotions are Made.” He will explore how Dr. Feldman Barrett’s theory of constructed emotions reveals the power of personal agency over your emotional life, and strategies to combat feelings of hopelessness.
This roundtable, part of our Election Anxiety Series coordinated by AILA National’s Wellbeing Committee, will offer a fresh perspective on managing difficult emotions in challenging times.
Register here.

Motions Practice Before EOIR (NILA webinar)
2024-09-19 14:00 - 15:30
This webinar will address various substantive and procedural motions filed with the immigration courts and Board of Immigration Appeals in removal proceedings.

The panel will provide an overview of: motions to reopen and reconsider; motions to remand; motions to stay removal; and motions to rescind in absentia removal orders. Additionally, we will discuss the differences between statutory and regulatory motions to reopen/reconsider; untimely motions (including how to frame an argument that the statutory deadline should be equitably tolled); post-departure motions (including considerations for individuals abroad); and motions to reopen/reconsider orders that have been reinstated.

Finally, the panel will address procedural motions such as motions to extend time, to expedite adjudication, and supplementing previously filed motions.

CLE Credit: Approved for 1.5 hours Texas CLE credit. Texas is an approved jurisdiction for several state bars.
To register for this webinar, click HERE or visit https://immigrationlitigation.org/nila-webinars/

September Chapter Meeting: National Visa Center & Political Engagement (Virtual event)
2024-09-19 17:00 - 20:00
Our September Chapter Meeting will be held a virtual event (no in-person option):
5:00 – 5:45 pm Moderated Panel Discussion: National Visa Center (virtual)
5:45 – 6:00 pm Chapter Business Meeting
6:00 – 7:00 pm Political Engagement Briefing & Phone Banking (hybrid)
7:00 – 8:00 pm Happy Hour courtesy of AILA NE
Register for the meeting here for part or all of the meeting. The Zoom registration link is embedded in the RSVP form.
1. National Visa Center: We are fortunate to have Allison Reedy from the National Visa Center. She will present virtually, with Mahsa Khanbabai moderating. The NVC will accept pre-submitted questions from AILA NE members at our upcoming meeting. Please share your questions and concerns related to NVC processing so that we can get the most out of the meeting. Feel free to share trends you see related to document collection, processing times, or questions you have always wanted addressed.

We will cover topics including communicating w/ the NVC, transparency related to IV processing times, CSPA, and digitization efforts.
Please submit your questions and report recent trends here by Friday, September 6.

2. Political Engagement Ahead of Presidential Elections: The second half of the meeting will be a political engagement event to mobilize our NE Chapter Members to reach independent and undecided voters in New Hampshire to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris. It will be a phone-banking or text-banking event.
As you know, the results of the Presidential election will hinge on a narrow margin in the swing states. This event will allow AILA New England members to engage and make an impact in NH. Please show up and help elect Harris!
And if that’s not enough incentive: The AILA Ohio Chapter did this last week and it was a success – let’s get even more commitments from NH voters!

WaterFire Providence (AILA NE Social Event)
2024-09-21 17:30 - 20:00
Join your AILA NE colleagues in Providence to view the beautiful WaterFire!
WaterFire evenings consist of 86 burning braziers; some float just above the surface of the rivers that flow through Waterplace Park (the Woonasquatucket River) and the middle of downtown Providence (Credit: Wikipedia)
The show starts at sunset at 6:45 pm. Onshore programming and vendors open at 5:30. Register here.

Walk/Jog on the Charles (AILA NE Wellbeing Event)
2024-09-23 17:30 - 19:00
Have you thought about starting a walking or jogging routine? Please join the AILA Well-Being committee on Monday 9/23 at 5:30 pm in front of the Community Boating Inc. at 21 David G Mugar Way in Boston (on the Charles River) for an initiation to creating good habits and forming new friendships and solidifying existing relationships.

We will split into two groups: one group will take a 30-minute walk on the esplanade, and the other group will do a light initiation to jogging.
Please bring your walking/running shoes and dress comfortably. During the walk/job, we will discuss tips on how to create and build up healthy routines by starting with very small changes.
Reward yourself afterwards! For anyone interested in grabbing beer/food after the walk/jog, we will head over to Night Shift Brewery on the Esplanade.
Register here.

L-1 Visas: Blanket Applications and USCIS Petitions (brown bag)
2024-09-25 12:00 - 13:00
L-1 processes can be difficult to navigate, whether filing at an embassy/consulate office or with USCIS. Speakers Molly O’Shea (Clark Lau LLC) and Troy Wilson (WR Immigration) will discuss strategies on planning and filing L Visa Applications and/or USCIS petitions.

How will a change in administration impact the process?
How to set and manage client expectations if filing with USCIS?
What are common issues that may arise (e.g. new office Ls, qualifying employment, etc.)?
What are recent trends in adjudications?
Register here!

AILA NE DEI Committee Book Club
2024-09-25 18:00 - 19:00
Please join the DEI committee for its first book club meeting as we delve into the first two chapters of White by Law by Ian Haney López.

This critical work explores how legal definitions of race and whiteness have shaped American legal and social systems.
For this session, we will focus on: The foundational concepts introduced in the first two chapters. How these early chapters set the stage for understanding the relationship between race and the law, including key questions and themes raised by López’s analysis.
Please come prepared to discuss your insights and questions about these chapters. If you have any particular points you’d like to explore or specific questions, feel free to share them beforehand to aila.newengland.dei@gmail.com.

AILA NE Brown Bag on CBP Land Border Practice
2024-10-04 11:00 - 12:00
Join a brown bag session to hear about recent trends and strategies at the northern border! Our esteemed CBP land border experts will lead this brown bag:

Leslie Holman, AILA NE CBP Committee Chair and former AILA President
Adeline Boulanger, current AILA NE CBP Committee member
Special Guest David Wilks from AILA Upstate New York Chapter and AILA Elected Director on the Board of Governors

Register here
