CBP Brown Bag
2024-01-11 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York)
The AILA New England CBP Liaisons for Air (Logan) and Land (Northern Border) are teaming up to provide you with the latest news and insights regarding CBP practices. Join us for a brown bag lunch to hear the updates and ask us anything you’re wondering about all things CBP.
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://aila-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMtcuysrTwpHtU5ggTkgCHbNJ6j6rnDIwEP
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Meet & Greet at the Cantab Lounge - RSVP by Jan 4
2024-01-12 19:30 - 22:00
Meet & Greet, with live music at the Cantab Lounge in Cambridge! Friday evening/night, Jan. 12. Join us at this beloved cabaret in the heart of Central Square for an opportunity to connect, unwind, and enjoy some great live music with your fellow AILA members in the private room at Cantab around 7 before the band (Angelina and the Unit) starts around 9. Hosted by the New Members Division and AIC Ambassador Margy Holland-Sparages, ALL AILA NE members welcome. There will be complementary tacos from Anna’s Taqueria and drinks starting at $5. Stay for the band ($10 cover). RSVP by Jan. 4 to Jamie Martin/Events Committee at eventsAILANE@gmail.com.

42B or Not to 42B: Non-LPR Cancellation
2024-01-17 12:00 - 13:00
Date: Wed Jan 17, 2024
Time: 12 noon
Title: 42B or Not to 42B: Non-LPR Cancellation
Speaker(s): Stephen Born
What to expect: The ethics of going from affirmative asylum to 42B and reflections from over 30 years of practice
Zoom Registration Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87411543292?pwd=[REDACTED]

Chapter Meeting (IN PERSON)
2024-01-18 17:00 - 18:30
In person attendees will meet in the LOWER level of MCLE.
Zoom attendees: Register in advance for this meeting:
https://aila-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYkcOqvrD4rHNZwRXbxzLnGARqkXfVjYD57
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

H-1B Hot Topics: Proposed New Regulations and Domestic Visa Renewal
2024-01-25 12:00 - 13:00
Title: H-1B Hot Topics: Proposed New Regulations and Domestic Visa Renewal
Date: Thursday, January 25th, 12 noon – 1pm
Content: Learn about the newly proposed H-1B regulations, and the Department of State’s domestic visa renewal program, and their implications for business immigration practitioners.
Speaker: John F. Quill, Chair, Immigration Practice, Mintz Levin (Boston)
Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUqfuyuqzguG9HSlRDbSWmWnohWNAa1_4lg

Boston/Lowell IC Stakeholder Meeting - Feb. 15 at 11 a.m. ET
2024-02-15 11:00 - 12:00
You are cordially invited to a virtual stakeholder meeting on Thursday, February 15 at 11 a.m. ET. This meeting is primarily intended for those individuals who practice before the Boston Immigration Court. The meeting will be hosted by Assistant Chief Immigration Judge David Cheng and will provide stakeholders with an update regarding changes in Massachusetts court jurisdictions.

Please see meeting details below:

DATE: Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024
TIME: 11 a.m. ET
REGISTRATION: Please REGISTER to attend via Webex.

If you have any questions in advance of the meeting, please feel free to email them to me as John Martin is out of the office until Feb. 23. Please feel free to share this invitation widely with other interested parties.

Chapter Meeting (In Person)
2024-02-15 16:00 - 18:30 | MCLE, 10 Winter Pl, Boston, MA, 02108
This meeting will be in person at MCLE and portions not noted as “in person only” will be streamed via Zoom.
4:00pm – 5:00pm: Meeting for newer attorneys (in person only)
5:00pm – 5:30pm: Law students chat with Attorney Gregory Castillo and Samia Chandraker in the foyer (in person only)
5:00pm – 5:30pm: Business portion of the AILA New England Chapter meeting.
5:30pm – 6:30pm: Main meeting of the AILA New England Chapter. The guest speaker is CBP Chief Samuel Wiley.
6:30pm – 7:30pm: Social & networking time in the foyer.
Zoom attendees may register in advance for this meeting:
https://aila-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAqdeuqpjwtG9LRdy7CViznFOAtX39m8GPB
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Strengthening Your BIA Appeal: Assessing the IJ Decision and Writing More Effective BIA Briefs
2024-02-29 12:00 - 13:00
Speaker: Aimee Mayer-Salins
What to expect: Assessing the strength and viability of an appeal, standards of review, and tips for writing effective BIA briefs
Zoom Registration Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIufuiupjsjE9L9V-UBrLLBn5X_OJbqLxQD

CLE Brown Bag - Adoptions
2024-03-06 12:00 - 13:00
Topic: International Adoption
This is an overview session intended to introduce practitioners who have not practiced in this niche area of immigration law to immigration process for adopted children (requirements, agencies involved, forms, timing, main difficulties). It will be in Q&A format with time for questions from participants at the end.
When: Mar 6, 2024 12:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYuf-6vrD8oHNMBWR6b4xxgVXpTkdiZOiES
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Driver’s License Applications in New England (and Fraud Suspensions in MA)
2024-03-26 12:00 - 13:00
Title: Driver’s License Applications in New England (and Fraud Suspensions in MA)
Date: Tuesday, March 26th, 12 noon – 1pm
Content: This brown bag will look at the immigration-related requirements for driver’s license applications in MA, ME, NH, R.I., and VT, and will highlight the possible immigration consequences of fraud suspensions in Massachusetts.
Speaker: AILA NE Chapter RMV Liaisons (Susan Ellison, Caroline Foley, Peter Rees, Beth Stickney)
Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMvcOqvrjkoHtdltk5gvnYSUlBB7oMPKjyj

Chapter Meeting (In Person)
2024-03-28 16:00 - 18:30
Portions of this meeting will be streamed via Zoom. Please see link below.
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://aila-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJckf-ChqzMjGdyeuVG3rqfxsA9-MefT5aQv
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
4-5PM: NMD hour (in person and via Zoom)
5-5:30PM: Business meeting (streamed via Zoom)
5:30-6:30PM: Main meeting (streamed via Zoom). We are fortunate to have leadership from the Boston Asylum Office join us. Don’t practice asylum? No problem – join us for an employment-based workshop. We will have roundtables where members can work through any employment- or family-based topic of your choice with your experienced colleagues. Come by and workshop your difficult case issues over wine and cheese. Can’t think of any specific topic? Come chat with us about:

How your Cap H-1B registrations went and commiserate about the system glitches
How to advise clients for whom FY2025 was the “last chance” at a cap H-1B before running out of work authorization
What alternative visa options you want to explore with your clients
How to handle joint sponsors in Affidavits of Support
Attorneys of all levels of experience are welcome! There is no such thing as a silly question.

KYR - PAIR Project
2024-04-03 12:00 - 13:00
Date: April 3
Time: 12 noon
Title: KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

Speaker(s): Julia Ciachurski, Detention Attorney/ Community Engagement at PAIR Project

What to expect: PAIR is looking for volunteer attorneys to assist with their Know Your Rights (KYR) initiative. Since 2016, PAIR has reached more than 19,500 community members through its KYR initiative by collaborating with shelters, churches, schools, and community centers across Massachusetts. Each presentation is about one hour and covers a brief overview of the immigration system, recent immigration updates, important legal resources, and your rights when encountering immigration officials.

Zoom Registration Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAude2gqj8iGd0X5O1DJ9FsKg_Ta8hHsp4H

Burn Out Training
2024-04-08 12:00 - 13:30
Join AILA New England for a lunch-time workshop, the “Impact of Vicarious Trauma in Immigration Work: Basics of Your Regulation System and Connecting to Your ‘Why'”,” for an in-depth discussion on understanding how exposure to trauma and stress in your work affects our bodies and shapes how we connect to our work. Trauma-focused Social Workers Kathleen Flinton, MAR, MSW, LICSW, and Anna M., MSW, LICSW, will provide an understanding of trauma and its impact on the body; how we get “stuck” in certain nervous system states and strategies that help you get “unstuck”; and reconnecting to your personal mission of why you do the work you do.

When: Apr 8, 2024 12:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://aila-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYqdeuprjojGtN3a2tvr1JHh6tiNsgFD5vg
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Online Asylum Filing Brown Bag
2024-04-09 12:00 - 13:00
Date: April 9
Time: 12 noon
Title: Online Asylum Filing
Speaker(s): Tara Rubenstein, Asylum Attorney, PAIR Project
What to Expect: A walk through the process of completing and filing an asylum application and supplementary materials online, including tips and tricks for successful online filing.
Zoom Registration Link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYpc-ioqz0jG9AlPjIex4dJ4qn0Bb8P3JEu

Chapter Meeting (Virtual)
2024-04-11 17:00 - 18:30
5-5:30: business meeting
5:30-6:30: main meeting

Portions of this meeting will be streamed via Zoom – please see the link below.
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://aila-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAtd-iopzIiGtWo9Asj1TAQdcZ_XNX0RDzd
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Tips for Managing Anxiety Around the Upcoming Election
2024-04-19 13:00 - 14:00
Join us for this roundtable discussion of the upcoming election, and other uncontrollable stressors, and how it impacts AILA members’ practices and well-being. The discussion leaders will cover:

Differentiating the past from the present
Focusing on past success responding to change
Turning stress into service
Identifying the resources you need to help your clients and yourself navigate the unknown future
Effectively communicating with clients about potential political consequences

Brown Bag: Bars to Asylum
2024-04-24 12:00 - 13:00
Date: April 24th
Time: 12 noon
Title: BARS TO ASYLUM

Speaker(s): Ilana Greenstein and Violeta Haralampieva of PAIR Project

What to expect:
With southern border apprehensions on the rise and asylum backlogs reaching crisis proportions at both EOIR and USCIS, the previous and current administrations have increasingly sought to curtail access to asylum, both procedurally and substantively. Join our panelists for a discussion of some of the most common statutory and regulatory bars to asylum, with a focus on those most relevant to current migration trends. We will also discuss the legal exceptions to these bars, which offer crucial pathways to winning asylum despite the odds.

Topics include:

Circumvention of Lawful Pathways (Transit Ban 2.0)
Firm Resettlement
TRIG
Persecutor of Others

Zoom Registration Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYqf-uppz0vHd3XtGN-8ztW2HfTPISr0_QT

Thriving for Minority Attorneys: A Realistic Expectation or a Pipedream?
2024-05-02 17:00 - 19:00
(May 2, 5pm-7pm, hybrid, in person location: MCLE) Please see the flier here for details.
In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month in May, the DEI Committee invites colleagues to join us for an open discussion regarding some of the challenges we face as attorneys. Our profession tests the limits of our patience and wellbeing on a regular basis. As minority attorneys, the impacts on our wellbeing are even more persistent and compounded based on our lived experiences.
Please join us for a conversation led by panelists Stacey A. L. Best, Esq. (Executive Director of Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers, MA) and Hannah Kilson, Esq. (President of the Boston Bar Association), as we discuss what it means to thrive; the different issues minority attorneys are forced to contend with in our profession; as well as tips for how to get through the tough days.

Understanding and combating Islamophobia
2024-05-02 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

PAIR Project NMD open asylum office hour
2024-05-08 12:00 - 13:00, 2024-06-12 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 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

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
