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Immigration Resources

In light of recent executive orders signed by President Trump stopping refugee admissions and creating a "Muslim Ban" we joined

NAPABA's and SABA's Statement Condemning the President's Exclusion of Refugees and his "Muslim Ban"  and voted and endorsed the Massachusetts Bar Association's new Resolution on Immigration

As a voice for our members, many of whom are first and second generation immigrants, it is more important now than ever that we vigorously defend against encroachment on our fundamental constitutional values and discriminatory policies based on fear and intolerance that make our communities less safe.

We have also created this page so that we can share any appropriate resources.  If you would like to share any resources with other AALAM members, please contact Vatsady Sivongxay, the Chair of our Community Concerns committee.  Her contact information and that of the other board members and officers is available to AALAM members who haved signed in at this link.

  • Friday, April 21, 2017 3:57 PM | Anonymous
    AALAM proudly joined the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) and 42 of its national associate and affiliate bar associations in filing an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit to support the preliminary injunction of President Trump’s March 6, 2017, revised executive order barring individuals from six Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States.  The link to NAPABA's press release can be found here: press release
  • Thursday, March 16, 2017 2:04 PM | Anonymous
    After some discussion with regional and national groups working on these issues, The Open Boston Leads decided to stand back up their efforts at Logan Airport for the entry into force of the newest Executive Order this Thursday, March 16, 2017. That means they need your help!

    They need volunteers to help staff their legal assistance effort outside Terminal E at the airport. Volunteers will post outside international arrivals at Terminal E to identify issues facing arriving passengers and help connect affected individuals with legal and other resources they may need. AILA and PAIR will be providing expert immigration attorneys to give guidance to every shift, and they are also planning on having coordinators at each shift to provide on-site guidance. Sign up here!

    Both lawyers and non-lawyers are welcome to participate, and three to four people per shift should be plenty. They are only setting up shifts for Thursday and Friday for now, but will reevaluate on Friday and may keep the effort going longer.

     Thank you in advance for your help and continued commitment. 

     For more information please contact: 

    The Open Boston Leads 

    openboston2017@gmail.com

  • Sunday, March 12, 2017 9:34 PM | Anonymous

    SABA GB, our Boston Bar affiliate, is hosting a Know Your Rights panel on March 14th at 6:30 pm at Northeastern University School of Law at 65 Forsyth Street.

    Some additional information about the panel are available below:

    WBZ Newsradio Show

    Twitter post by Carl Stevens of WBZ


  • Wednesday, February 08, 2017 5:50 PM | Anonymous

    From Vatsady Sivongxay, an AALAM Board member and Chair of the Community Concerns Committee:


    So many of you have reached out asking how you can be involved that we decided to make a night of it. If you are a lawyer, teacher, medical resident, grad student, or anything else, and you want to do something about all the craziness you've seen happen in the last few weeks come on over.

    We are going to talk about what MIRA does, what's going on with these Executive Orders, and then try to figure out how to get you all involved. It might be a bit messy but we want to make sure that we are using each of your unique talents and skills to the fullest and connecting you with likeminded individuals.

    So please come join, bring a friend, and let's figure out how we can make Massachusetts a place where immigrants and refugees feel welcome.
    #NoBanNoWall #refugeeswelcome #safecommunitiesact

    Location:

    Emmanuel Episcopal Church 

    Public Alley 438, Boston, MA 02116



    Email: jrivera@miracoalition.org with questions and RSVPs

    Additional details available on the Facebook events page.

  • Wednesday, February 08, 2017 5:30 PM | Anonymous

    From Vatsady Sivongxay, an AALAM Board member and Chair of the Community Concerns Committee:

    Dear Concerned Member of the Massachusetts Legal Community,

    I invite you to join me and members of ACLU of Massachusetts legal team for coffee on February 16 from 10:45-11:45 at Morgan and Lewis, to discuss how the legal community can confront the threats to freedom in the Commonwealth. 

    We are organizing this conversation in response to the recent outpouring of interest from the Massachusetts legal community in becoming more engaged, both in the ACLU’s work and in civil liberties and civil rights work more generally. We intend to discuss legal strategies, explore opportunities for you to engage in ACLU work, and plan communication going forward. 

     Please RSVP to waltshuler@aclum.org to join this conversation at 10:45 on February 16 at Morgan and Lewis, 1 Federal Street in Boston. 

    You may also have received an invitation for an ACLU Amicus speaker series event on the same day from 12-1pm.  All of you are welcome to stay for this luncheon and hear from ACLU Board President Susan Herman, who will address the civil liberties landscape under President Trump.  If you do intend to stay for the luncheon, please include both waltshuler@aclum.org and rsvp@aclum.org in the “to” line of your RSVP email, so that lunch can be ordered for you. 

    If you can't attend the meetings but would like to otherwise be involved, please register at www.aclum.org/attorneys
  • Wednesday, February 08, 2017 3:15 PM | Anonymous

    Christina Chan, Officer and Director of AALAM and Assistant Attorney General at the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office, has shared with AALAM the following:

    Regarding the travel ban, there are currently 3 principle sources for disseminating information and directing people to advice.

    • The AGO in collaboration with CodeForBoston.org. has set up an automated recording at 855-338-2847.  It is a short recording in English, Arabic, Farsi, Somali, and Kurdish that in part directs people to the masslegalhelp.org website.  Because of the difficulty obtaining and coordinating up-to-the-minute translations, we have opted to have a more general advisory directing people to a website where more up to date info will be provided.  As the situation begins to feel more static, we will update the recording.
    • More up-to-date information about the impact of current litigation and information from airlines is provided at www.masslegalhelp.org along with the relevant court orders to download.
    • Individuals and families from the 7 countries flying into Logan Airport who do not have an attorney may contact Fragomen’s 24/7 hotline at 617-903-8943 or email executiveorder@fragomen.com to communicate with an attorney.
  • Wednesday, February 08, 2017 3:15 PM | Anonymous
    Vincent Lau, AALAM Member and Managing Partner at Clark Lau LLC, has put together a short memo summarizing the highlights of the executive order and some practical implications and shared it with AALAM. Click here to download a copy.

The Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts (AALAM) is a non-partisan, 501(c)(6) non-profit organization.

Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts
c/o The Boston Bar Association
16 Beacon Street
Boston, MA 02108-3774
E-mail: aalam.info@gmail.com

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