American Immigration Lawyers Association facts for kids
Official AILA Logo
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| Abbreviation | AILA |
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| Formation | October 14, 1946 |
| Type | Professional Bar Association |
| Legal status | 501(c)(6) |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C., United States |
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Membership
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15,000 members |
| Benjamin Johnson | |
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President, Executive Committee
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Allen Orr |
| Subsidiaries | 1331 G Street LLC, AILA Professional Services LLC, American Immigration Council 501(c)(3) |
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Revenue (2016)
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$13,972,228 |
| Expenses (2016) | $13,409,203 |
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Employees (2016)
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71 |
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Volunteers (2016)
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765 |
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Formerly called
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Association of Immigration and Nationality Lawyers |
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) is a group of over 15,000 lawyers and law professors. They all work with or teach about immigration law. AILA helps families who want to bring relatives to the U.S. permanently. They also help U.S. businesses find talented people from other countries. AILA members also assist foreign students, entertainers, athletes, and people seeking safety (asylum seekers). Sometimes, they do this work for free. AILA is a non-profit organization that offers training, information, and expert advice. It has 38 local groups and over 50 national committees. Its main office is in Washington, D.C..
AILA's Story: How It Started
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AILA was first called the Association of Immigration and Nationality Lawyers. It began on October 14, 1946. A group of 19 immigration lawyers and experts started it in Manhattan, New York. Twelve of these founders used to work for the Immigration and Naturalization Service. They wanted to improve the way lawyers worked with the Immigration Service.
Josh Koenigsberg was the first president of the group. Gaspare Cusumano was the vice president, Anita Streep was the secretary, and Daniel Caputi was the treasurer.
In 1982, the group opened its main office in Washington, D.C.. At that time, its name was changed to the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
By 1985, AILA had 1,800 members. This was three times more than in 1975. As of 2025, there are over 15,000 AILA members. They are part of 39 local groups across the United States and other countries.
American Immigration Council: A Partner Organization
| Formation | 1987 |
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| Type | 501(c)(3) organization |
| Purpose | Immigration |
| Headquarters | 1331 G St. NW, Suite 200, Washington, D.C., 20005 |
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Executive director
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Jeremy Robbins |
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Revenue (2023)
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$8.2 m USD |
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Formerly called
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American Immigration Law Foundation |
The American Immigration Council is a non-profit group based in Washington, D.C.. It is connected to AILA. It started in 1987 and was first called the American Immigration Law Foundation. In 2021, another group called the New American Economy joined with the council.
The council has a special project called Immigration Impact. This is a news website that focuses only on immigration topics.
