The conference kicked off yesterday morning to the news of the Attorney General overturning the previous administration's ruling making it difficult, if not impossible for foreign nationals to make a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel.
This ruling restores the rule of law and the principles of due process to our immigration system that the previous administration sought to overturn with the stroke of a pen. Murad and Murad joins AILA and immigration advocates across the world lauding this administrations decision to provide a sense of fairness in the immigration process for the most vulnerable foreign nationals in the immigration process.
While the annual conference historically opens with some major announcement from the government, this year's decision instilled a sense of pride and rejuvenated an audience of immigration attorneys who are, all too often, met with a culture of "no" from the US Government. Of note at this year's opening plenary session was a copy of the U.S. Constitution left on our seats for the installation of AILA's president, an immigrant from South Africa, who has truly lived the American Dream. Bernard Wolfsdorf arrived from South Africa, nearly 30 years to the day of his inauguration as President of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. As we hold the constitution dear to our hearts and looked on as this American from South Africa taking the helm of our organization, the Attorney General's decision restoring the fundamental principles of the constitution was a welcome sign to all of us, who have seen the rights of our clients treaded on throughout the last administration.
