The Healthcare Crisis and Smart Immigration Solution that Congress Needed to Hear About
AILA member Sarah Peterson testified before Congress recently about the need for immigration reform to help immigrant healthcare workers and also benefit U.S. communities that desperately need trained doctors and nurses; in this blog post she describes two pieces of legislation that could make a real difference.
Making the Case for Nurse H-1Bs
In this blog post, AILA Media Advocacy Committee member Adam Cohen highlights why the Biden administration “must do more to allow foreign nurses to bring their desperately needed skills to the U.S.” in particular by rescinding the 2015 memo that prevents eligibility for most nurse positions under the H-1B visa program.
Immigrant Healthcare Workers Are Essential to the U.S. Comeback
AILA member Aaron Kochenderfer highlights the many contributions of immigrant healthcare workers, made more visible to all of us during the pandemic, and urges support for legislation that offers more of these heroes access to lawful permanent status.
USCIS to Congress: “Give Us $1.2 Billion,” But Does the Data Pass the Sniff Test?
In this blog post, members of AILA New England highlight the many questions about how USCIS has engendered a deficit requiring a congressional bailout and raises concerns about the need for data transparency and accountability.
When the World is on Fire, Exceptions Should be the Rule
AILA member Amy Myers shares why USCIS should proactively address non-immigrants’ (such as students on OPT) concerns about falling out of status, writing “When we are already in a recognized crisis situation, why should discretionary post-situational relief be the only available remedy?”
Bipartisan Effort Would Help Foreign Doctors, Nurses, and All of Us
AILA’s Director of Government Relations Sharvari Dalal-Dheini highlights the bill Congress can and should consider quickly to address the physician and nurse shortage during the COVID-19 pandemic and the integral role AILA and its members played in urging Congress to take this important issue up.
Re-imagine the H-1B to Match Our Economy’s Needs
AILA First VP Jennifer Minear explains the impact of new policies USCIS Director Cissna recently highlighted in a CNN op-ed, noting that “We don’t need to reconfigure the logistical administration of the outdated and ill-equipped H-1B system that we have. We need to re-imagine that system…”
Black Immigrant History is Part of Black History Month
In this blog post, part of the AILA Diversity & Inclusion series, AILA Second Vice President Allen Orr recognizes Black History Month, shares important research and analysis, and writes, “In the drive for immigration reform, black immigrants must not be forgotten or left out of the equation.”
Ellis Island – A Window to our Past and Future
AILA Media Advocacy Committee Member Doug Penn visited Ellis Island and the ruins of the country’s first public health hospital there; he urges all of us, “as you live and work, try to see your life from the perspective of Ellis Island – and live up to that statue in the harbor.”
Tearing Down the Wall and Building Bridges
This blog post is adapted from the president’s installation speech given by Anastasia Tonello, June 14, 2018 in San Francisco; she shares her message to AILA members and goals for her presidential year.
