AILA Guide for State & Local Policymakers and Advocates

Even casual readers of this blog are aware of the many state and local interventions in the realm of immigration over the last year.  In response, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) has developed a state and local resource guide to provide policymakers and advocates a roadmap to use as they steer through the policy minefields created by this trend. The guide is designed to provide a basic orientation to the issues and an introduction to critical resources on the following:

Restricting immigrants’ access to public benefits and services

Mandating verification of employment eligibility

Restricting congregations of day laborers

Establishing “English-only” policies

Imposing restrictive housing policies

Requiring state and local police to serve as immigration agents

Restricting immigrants’ access to driver’s licenses

Each section contains: (1) a background summary that distills the central arguments, problems, and state of play; (2) a factual rebuttal of the most commonly propounded myths; (3) a synthesis of current legislative activity around the country; (4) a description of relevant litigation; and (5) a broad compilation of additional resources from individuals and organizations with issue expertise.

Click here to see a brief discription of the resource guide and to downlaod a copy.

KJ