Washington, DC - Late yesterday, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia took a crucial step to protect due process by halting key pieces of the Trump Administration's Interim Final Rule that would severely undermine immigrants' right to appeal. Ben Johnson, Executive Director of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), congratulated the plaintiffs - Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, Brooklyn Defender Services, Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project, HIAS, and National Immigrant Justice Center - and their counsel - the American Immigration Council, Democracy Forward and National Immigrant Justice Center - and called on AILA members and partners to support these efforts:

"This decision is an important victory for due process and for the integrity of our immigration courts, reaffirming that people deserve the right to have their cases reviewed-fairly, fully, and in accordance with the law. The administration's proposal would have gutted any meaningful opportunity for immigrants to appeal, and the court's ruling makes clear that such an erosion of fundamental fairness must not stand. As a result of the hard work of the American Immigration Council and their litigation partners, and the courage of the plaintiffs in this case, we have all secured a meaningful victory for justice and the rule of law. And as efforts to undermine these principles persist, we must continue to stand up for a system that treats every person with dignity, fairness, and respect."