American Immigration Council (AIC)

The American Immigration Council (AIC) is a left-of-center immigration-advocacy group that promotes left-of-center immigration policies, including expanding immigration to the United States and granting legal status to certain illegal immigrants. The group conducts litigation challenging enforcement policies, research emphasizing the economic benefits of immigration, and communications campaigns to influence public opinion. The group has received substantial funding from left-of-center foundations, including the Ford Foundation, the Bloomberg Family Foundation, and the Open Society Foundations. ^{1 2 3 4}

The group operates as the public policy arm of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, filing lawsuits against federal agencies and producing reports that align with expansionist and left-of-center immigration priorities. In 2021, it merged with the Partnership for a New American Economy, an ostensibly business-backed group that supports left-of-center immigration policy by promoting pro-immigration economic arguments. The council also ran the Immigration Justice Campaign, a joint initiative with the American Immigration Lawyers Association to provide pro bono legal aid to detained immigrants. ^{5 6}

Background

Formerly known as the American Immigration Law Foundation, the American Immigration Council (AIC) is an advocacy group that supports expanding immigration to the United States and granting legal status to some populations of illegal immigrants. It was founded by the American Immigration Lawyers Association in 1987 and operates as the policy advocacy and education arm of the AILA. ⁷

Since 2015, the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, the AIC, the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, and the American Immigration Lawyers Association have jointly operated the CARA Family Detention Project, an initiative that provides pro-bono legal services to families who have entered the United States without permission and are seeking asylum. “CARA” is an acronym representing the first letter of the names of the four participating organizations. As of 2025, CARA’s website was not operational and the project’s status was unclear. ⁸

The AILA has been a vocal and consistent critic of the U.S. government policy of using family detention centers. The AILA’s denunciations began during the Obama administration, which started the policy in 2014, and was continued by the first Trump administration. Many AILA member lawyers have provided pro bono legal assistance to asylum seekers. ⁹

Activities and Associations

Policy Analysis and Development

The American Immigration Council produces immigration policy reports that promote the benefits of immigrants to the U.S. economy, and of immigration reforms that prioritize easier pathways to legal immigration. The group has published reports and fact sheets detailing how the U.S. immigration system works, reports recommending expanding the country’s asylum seeker handling capabilities, and promoting the economic impact of immigrants through the group’s Global Talent Chamber Network. ^{10 11 12}

News Analysis

The American Immigration Council (AIC) operated a website, ImmigrationImpact.com, and later housed a blog within its website, publishing regular staff commentaries regarding current immigration news and policy issues. Examples from October 2018 include an analysis arguing the U.S. should grant entry to a so-called “caravan” of an estimated 4,000 mostly Honduran asylum seekers intending to enter the United States without other authorization¹³ and a criticism of then-U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen regarding statements she made to the U.S. Senate about her department’s refugee detention policy.¹⁴

Cultural Exchange

In cooperation with for-profit businesses and non-profit partners, American Immigration Council’s (AIC) cultural exchange program sponsors foreign-national interns and job trainees coming into the United States. AIC also provides U.S. visa application assistance to both the applicants and U.S.-based organizations and businesses seeking to hire them.¹⁵

Litigation

The American Immigration Council (AIC) has previously filed lawsuits challenging government behavior that conflicts with its immigration policy objectives. Examples include a June 2018 case aimed at forcing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency to expedite hearings for asylum seekers being detained after entering the United States without authorization¹⁶ and an October 2018 case against the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) that seeks to reverse recently imposed restrictions on “specialty occupation” H-1B visas.¹⁷

As of October 2022, the AIC, along with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), organized a lawsuit filed by several nonprofit legal service organizations representing detained migrants within the states of Louisiana, Texas, Florida, and Arizona. ¹⁸ The lawsuit, filed against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement argued that attorneys were “severely limited” ¹⁸ in their ability to communicate with their clients due to a lack of private visitation rooms, rigorous scheduling requirements, and limited telephone access while even citing a “$20 rate for a 25-minute call.” within ICE facilities. ¹⁸ Homero López Jr., the legal director for Immigration Services and Legal Advocacy (ISLA) and one of the organizations suing the DHS and ICE, stated “The right to a lawyer should be the minimum level of fairness that someone gets when the government puts them in jail…[h]owever, ICE attempts to remove even that minimal semblance of fairness by constantly placing barriers that limit one’s access to their attorney.” ¹⁸

Association with the Southern Poverty Law Center

The American Immigration Council (AIC) website often cited the work of the controversial far-left Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and has quoted SPLC staff in commentaries, such as those criticizing Donald Trump,¹⁹ praising SPLC lawsuits,²⁰ and defending SPLC from its critics.²¹

As of October 2015, the AIC was participating in a class action lawsuit with SPLC filed against the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). An SPLC news release regarding the case alleges many forms of “abusive treatment” inflicted on asylum seekers by CBP, including “yelling at, harassing, and assaulting asylum seekers and their children,” and telling Guatemalan asylum seekers that “Guatemalans make us sick.”²²

In 2023, the AIC joined the SPLC along with the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Florida, and Americans for Immigrant Justice in filing a suit against Florida Senate Bill 1718 (2023), legislation aimed at curbing illegal immigration. ²³

Partnership for a New American Economy

In 2021, the American Immigration Council merged with the Partnership for a New American Economy, also known as the New American Economy, and completely folded the New American Economy’s operations into the AIC. The New American Economy was founded by former New York City Mayor and Democratic presidential-primary candidate Michael Bloomberg to promote left-of-center expansionist immigration policies by promoting positive economic impact data around immigrant labor. The New American Economy consisted of two organizations: the Partnership for a New American Economy Research Fund and the Partnership for a New American Economy Action Fund. ⁵

Funding

The American Immigration Council receives significant funding from left-of-center foundations and its parent organization, the American Immigration Lawyers Association. In 2023, revenues totaled $8.3 million, with major grants including $900,000 from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and $550,000 from the Ford Foundation. ^{24 25}

Other funders have included the Open Society Foundations, Unbound Philanthropy, the Crankstart Foundation, and the Wal-Mart Foundation. ²⁶

Leadership

Jeremy Robbins has worked as executive director of the American Immigration Council since 2021, joining the organization after leading the Partnership for a New American Economy, which was acquired by the AIC. ²⁷ He earned $336,132 in 2023 compensation. ¹