Shalyn “Shay” Fluharty is Executive Director of Americans for Immigrant Justice. Immediately prior to joining AI Justice, Shay served as an attorney consultant at Fordham University School of Law, where she led the Feerick Center for Social Justice’s national effort to expand access to counsel for mothers, fathers, and children who seek asylum. Shay has over fifteen years of experience …
A New Year’s Resolution from our New Executive Director
It is an honor to write to you as the new Executive Director of Americans for Immigrant Justice. After nearly a decade at the Texas-Mexico border, I join AI Justice committed to building an America that celebrates the contributions of individuals who immigrate to the United States and to welcoming them with dignity. As I look towards 2023, I long …
Sharing News About My Retirement: Note from Co-Founder and Executive Director Cheryl Little
When Sisters Catherine Cassidy, Maureen Kelleher and I began planning for Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center (FIAC) in 1995, we never dreamed it would become a relatively large, nationally recognized organization. All of you reading this letter played a role in strengthening our ability to stand strong in the storm of ever-changing immigration laws and policies aimed at stripping away immigrants’ …
Shameful Treatment of Haitians
Published September 27, 2021 Statement from Cheryl Little, Co-founder and Executive Director My first job after graduation from law school was at the Haitian Refugee Center where I learned firsthand the extent of the discrimination against Haitians. Since then, the shameful treatment has only escalated. For decades U.S. policy impacting Haitian asylum seekers has created an almost insurmountable barrier for …
Child Clients Still Face Insurmountable Challenges
Published August 26, 2021 For most of 2020, children arriving alone at our border were expelled in violation of a federal law requiring that they have their day in court before removal. On February 2, 2021 the Biden administration reversed that directive and our local ORR facilities are once again filling up with children in need of legal services. Below are …
Detention Numbers Must Be Reduced
In recent months, our Detention team has seen a marked change in the number and types of immigrants detained locally and nationwide. In January 2021, the Biden administration inherited a record low number of 14,195 people in immigration detention, in large part due to Trump’s closing of the border following COVID-19. Fast-forward almost 6 months later, and over 27,000 persons have …
Janet R. McAliley
Former Member, Miami-Dade County School Board Janet McAliley was a former member of the Miami-Dade County School Board. She was first elected to the School Board in 1980 and was subsequently re-elected three times, serving for four terms until 1996. Among her many accomplishments during her tenure was helping an undocumented high school student secure status so that she could …
A Dangerous Waiting Game: Asylum Protections Continue to be Eroded
No Rest for the Wicked After returning from Tijuana, I felt like I had a good understanding of the current state of the asylum-process at the border. In an example of how things change overnight, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced last night that it would be proceeding with its Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), where some asylum-seekers will be …
AI Justice Attorneys Reflect On Their Time At The Border: Concluding Thoughts
Adonia Simpson, Director of AI Justice’s Family Defense Program, and Jessica Shulruff Schneider, Director of AI Justice’s Detention Program, reflect on their experiences volunteering as legal service providers along the U.S.-Mexico border. We returned to Miami Tuesday morning, and we are still processing the experience. As the Al Otro Lado team promised, we became “veterans” after 12 hours, assisting with …
AI Justice Attorneys Reflect on Their Time at the Border: Day 4
Adonia Simpson, Director of AI Justice’s Family Defense Program, and Jessica Shulruff Schneider, Director of AI Justice’s Detention Program, reflect on their experiences volunteering as legal service providers along the U.S.-Mexico border. Day 4 began early for us, 7 a.m., but many migrants, replete with suitcases and their children, arrived before daylight broke at El Chaparral, the PedWest footbridge to …