American Immigration Lawyers Association
A voluntary bar association representing immigration lawyers and law professors and promoting fair, lawful immigration policy.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) is a U.S.-based voluntary bar association for attorneys and law professors who practice, teach, and work in the field of immigration and nationality law. Founded in Manhattan on October 14, 1946, the organization was initially known as the Association of Immigration and Nationality Lawyers. Its founders sought to improve the professional standing and standards of lawyers who appeared before the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the federal agency that preceded the modern immigration agencies of the Department of Homeland Security. AILA serves both as a professional association and as a policy organization. Its members represent U.S. families seeking permanent residence for relatives, employers recruiting workers and other specialized talent from abroad, foreign students, entertainers, athletes, asylum seekers, and other individuals involved in the U.S. immigration system. Some members also undertake pro bono representation. The association does not itself function as a law firm or provide a single centralized legal representation service; instead, it supports independent practitioners through education, professional resources, practice guidance, networking, and advocacy. The organization provides continuing legal education, publications, practice information, professional services, and analysis concerning immigration law and procedure. Its operating structure includes national committees devoted to particular areas of immigration practice and a network of chapters in the United States and other locations. The association has represented lawyers from a wide range of countries and has supported practitioners handling matters with international dimensions. AILA established a national headquarters in Washington, D.C., in 1982 and adopted its current name during that period. Its public mission combines professional development with advocacy for justice and fair, legal immigration law and policy. In carrying out that mission, AILA communicates with government agencies and policymakers, comments on immigration rules and procedures, and provides information about the practical effects of changes in immigration administration. AILA also has an institutional relationship with the American Immigration Council, a Washington-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization originally created in 1987 as the American Immigration Law Foundation. The council conducts immigration-related advocacy, litigation, research, and public education. Its projects include Immigration Impact, an immigration news and analysis site. The council is described in the reference material as a subsidiary of AILA, and the New American Economy merged into it in 2021. The association's membership expanded substantially during the second half of the twentieth century. It had about 1,800 members by 1985, compared with approximately 600 in 1975, and reference material reports more than 15,000 members and 39 chapters by 2017. AILA's continuing role is centered on serving immigration-law professionals, improving the quality of legal practice, and participating in public debate over the administration and reform of U.S. immigration law.
History
The American Immigration Lawyers Association was founded on October 14, 1946, in Manhattan, New York, by 19 immigration lawyers and other professionals. The organization was initially called the Association of Immigration and Nationality Lawyers. A significant number of its founders had recently worked for the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Their objective was to use their professional experience and status to raise the standards and reputation of lawyers appearing before the immigration agency. The association's original leadership included Josh Koenigsberg as president, Gaspare Cusumano as vice president, Anita Streep as secretary, and Daniel Caputi as treasurer. From its earliest period, the organization was structured as a voluntary professional association rather than a government body or a conventional law firm. Its principal role was to support lawyers working in a specialized and changing area of law and to promote competent representation before immigration authorities. AILA grew considerably during the 1970s and 1980s. Reference material records approximately 600 members in 1975 and about 1,800 members by 1985. In 1982, it established a national headquarters in Washington, D.C., and adopted the name American Immigration Lawyers Association. The Washington location reflected the importance of federal policymaking and agency practice to immigration lawyers, whose work frequently involves national regulations, adjudication procedures, and relations with federal immigration authorities. Over time, the association developed a broader professional infrastructure. It built chapters, national committees, educational programs, publications, and services intended to help practitioners interpret and apply immigration law. Its members represent a wide range of clients, including U.S. citizens and residents petitioning for relatives, businesses seeking international workers, students, entertainers, athletes, and people seeking asylum or other forms of protection. Some members provide services on a pro bono basis. The association's work therefore spans family immigration, employment-based immigration, humanitarian protection, removal-related matters, and other areas of immigration and nationality law. AILA's mission also includes public advocacy. It describes its purpose as promoting justice and advocating for fair and legal immigration law and policy while enhancing the professional development of immigration lawyers. Through policy engagement, professional education, and practice information, the association participates in discussions about the operation and reform of the U.S. immigration system. Its nonpartisan status distinguishes its institutional role from that of a political party, although immigration policy advocacy is an important part of its public profile. The association's publishing arm, AILA Publications, produces practical and analytical material for immigration lawyers and others seeking reliable information about immigration law. Its listed works include Kurzban's Immigration Law Sourcebook, Immigration Consequences of Criminal Activity, AILA's Asylum Primer, Litigating Immigration Cases in Federal Court, Representing Clients in Immigration Court, and Essentials of Immigration Law. These materials reflect the association's emphasis on usable legal knowledge and continuing professional education. In 1987, a related 501(c)(3) nonprofit was established as the American Immigration Law Foundation. It later became the American Immigration Council, a Washington, D.C.-based organization involved in immigration advocacy, litigation, research, and public education. Immigration Impact is identified as a project of the council. The New American Economy merged into the council in 2021, strengthening the council's research and communications platform. By 2017, reference material described AILA as having more than 15,000 members, 39 chapters, and attorneys from more than 58 countries. The association's current structure is reported as including 38 chapters and more than 50 national committees, reflecting the variation in chapter counts across different reference dates or organizational descriptions. Its national headquarters remains in Washington, D.C. AILA continues to operate as a professional association serving immigration-law practitioners and as an advocate for lawful and equitable immigration policy.
- 2021
New American Economy merges into the American Immigration Council
[1]The New American Economy merged into the related American Immigration Council.
- 2017
Membership exceeds 15,000
[1]Reference material reported more than 15,000 members, 39 chapters, and attorneys from more than 58 countries.
- 1987
American Immigration Law Foundation established
[1]A related nonprofit was established as the American Immigration Law Foundation and later became the American Immigration Council.
- 1985
Membership reaches approximately 1,800
[1]AILA membership had grown to about 1,800, roughly three times the level reported for 1975.
- 1982
Washington, D.C. headquarters established
[1]The association established its national headquarters in Washington, D.C., and adopted the American Immigration Lawyers Association name.
- 1975
Membership reaches approximately 600
[1]Reference material identifies approximately 600 members, providing a benchmark for the association's subsequent expansion.
- 1946
Association founded
[1]Nineteen immigration lawyers and professionals founded the Association of Immigration and Nationality Lawyers in Manhattan on October 14.
Products and positioning
A specialist, nonpartisan professional association positioned at the intersection of immigration-law practice, lawyer education, and advocacy for fair and lawful immigration policy.
Legal publishing and professional reference
AILA Publications
AILA Publications is the association's publishing arm. It produces practical legal references, analytical works, and educational material for immigration-law practitioners and people seeking information about immigration law. Listed titles include Kurzban's Immigration Law Sourcebook, Immigration Consequences of Criminal Activity, AILA's Asylum Primer, Litigating Immigration Cases in Federal Court, Representing Clients in Immigration Court, and Essentials of Immigration Law.
Professional education
Continuing legal education
AILA provides continuing legal education intended to help immigration lawyers maintain and deepen their knowledge of statutes, regulations, agency procedures, litigation, and changing practice conditions. Education is part of the association's broader professional-development mission.
Professional association services
National committees and chapter services
The association supports national committees and regional chapters that organize professional activity around immigration-law practice and geography. These structures facilitate practitioner networking, specialized information exchange, local programming, and engagement with policy and administrative issues.
Brand decisions
2021
New American Economy merges into the American Immigration CouncilM&ABackground
The American Immigration Council operated as a related nonprofit focused on immigration advocacy, research, litigation, and public education.
Action taken
New American Economy merged into the American Immigration Council.
Aftermath
The merger expanded the council's combined research, economic analysis, advocacy, and communications capabilities within the broader AILA-related institutional network.
1982
Establish a national headquarters and adopt the AILA nameStrategyBackground
The association had expanded beyond its founding organization and needed a national institutional base suited to its professional and policy role.
Action taken
It established a headquarters in Washington, D.C., and changed its name from the Association of Immigration and Nationality Lawyers to the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
Aftermath
The Washington headquarters placed the association near federal immigration policymaking and administration, while the new name more clearly identified its national professional scope.
Sources2 sources
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