AILA Texas/New Mexico/Oklahoma Spring Conference – San Antonio, Texas

Bienvenida Happy Hour
San Fernando Cathedral Event Center

Included for all conference attendees. Please purchase a Happy Hour Additional Guest Admission ticket for each guest.

Sponsored by:
Rivera Hernandez Campos, PLLC
De Mott, Curtright and Armendariz, LLP
Jaime Barron, PC, Immigration Law
Trillos Ballerini Law Firm, PC
State Bar of Texas Immigration and Nationality Section
Gonzalez Olivieri Law Firm, LLC
Oliva, Saks, Garcia and Curiel, PLLC
Myers Immigration Law
Law Offices of Teresa Coles-Davila, PC

Plenary

Strategies for Defending Asylum Seekers

Panelists will provide updates regarding detention practice, cover key strategies including fighting motions to pretermit, and discuss ACA and other laws impacting people’s right to apply for asylum.

Speakers:
Nicole True, Austin, TX
Boston Cote, Austin, TX
Aimee Korolev, Harlingen, TX
Andani Alcantara, Austin, TX

¡Pachanga!

Registration opens

Welcome

Chapter Chair Guillermo Hernandez, San Antonio, TX

Sponsor Feature

Plenary

Federal Litigation Updates

• H-1B proclamation litigation updates
• EAD automatic extension litigation
• Habeas and mandamus practice in business immigration
• FOIA litigation
• Delay litigation and preparing clients for it
• AILA litigation resources

Speakers:
Jaqueline Watson, Austin, TX
AILA President Jeff Joseph, Denver, CO
Steven Brown, Houston, TX

Plenary

Ethical AI in Your Immigration Practice: Practical Tools, Policies, and Client Realities

This session explores how immigration lawyers can responsibly and effectively integrate artificial intelligence into their practices. Presenters will cover three key areas:

• Practical Applications: Real-world examples of how AI enhances research, drafting, communication, and case management
• AI Policies & Shadow IT: How to develop firm-wide AI policies, address unauthorized tool use, and ensure compliance with ethical standards
• Client Use of AI: Managing client interactions when clients use AI tools, including privilege risks, engagement letter updates, and communication boundaries

Speakers:
Ruby Powers, Houston, TX
Greg Siskind, Germantown, TN
JJ Amell, Spring, TX

Break

(Split room)

ICE/CBP Hot Topics

This panel will explore current trends and hot topics at CBP and ICE, including key policy shifts under the current administration.

Speakers:
George Rodriguez, Dallas, TX
Raquel Aguirre, El Paso, TX
Juan Carlos Rodriguez, San Antonio, TX (moderator)

Immigration Strategies for Foreign Graduates

• STEM OPT updates and challenges
• J-1 skills list changes and waiver strategies
• O-1/NIW trends
• Starting permanent residence on OPT

Speakers:
David Ware, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Gayle Oshrin, New York, NY
Stephanie Pimentel, Dallas, TX

Break

(Open room)

Plenary

Lunch and Business Meeting

Handling Fraudulent or Poorly Prepared Applications

As more people are in need of representation, many people turn to notarios or others to assist them. These applications are often poorly prepared, and sometimes fraudulent. Panelists will discuss how to manage cases for people in this situation, and what tips or techniques you can use to minimize the damage to your client’s case. They will also discuss the ethical issues involved.

Speakers:
Pedro Webber, San Antonio, TX
Sam Haddad, Austin, TX
Raed Gonzalez, Houston, TX

PWD and PERM Strategies

• Current processing times
• Recruitment best practices
• Current trends in DOL processing/policy (BALCA case review)
• Audit updates

Speakers:
Stephen Parker, Dallas, TX
Sujata Ajmera, Austin, TX
Avalyn Castillo Langemeier, Houston, TX

Not Just Habeas: Family Based Litigation Options

Panelists will discuss litigation options for family-based applications, naturalization, and FOIA.

Speakers:
Matthew Hoppock, Shawnee, KS
Jessica Arena, San Francisco, CA
Francisco Alvillar, San Antonio, TX

Beyond PERM: EB-1, NIW, and Strategic Alternatives to Labor Certification

• EB-1A, EB-1B, and EB-1C strategy and evidentiary standards
• National Interest Waiver trends and adjudication issues
• Choosing between PERM and non-PERM pathways early
• Timing I-140 filings to preserve H-1B extension eligibility

Speakers:
Nazish Ali, Dallas, TX
Sang Shin, Houston, TX
Charles Gillman, Houston, TX

Break

Naturalization/Denaturalization

The Trump administration’s focus on naturalization has included good moral character requirements and home visits, and there are delays in adjudicating cases. This panel will review changes to the naturalization process and discuss practice pointers. They will also discuss denaturalization.

Speakers:
Lance Curtright, San Antonio, TX
Griselda Ponce, Austin, TX

Border Practice Updates (TN, Northern/Southern Border)

• ESTA/visa waiver travel issues and overstay precautions
• Cross-border travel/CBP precautions
• CBP tips for immigration attorneys and our clients

Speakers:
Matthew Myers, San Antonio, TX
Beatriz Ballerini, Houston, TX

Closing Announcements

Optional

Wine Tasting Excursion at Casa Guipzot in Historic La Villita

Visit the Tickets & Registration tab to purchase a ticket for each person attending before the deadline of Friday, April 3, 2026.

Casa Guipzot
420 Villita St., Bldg. 2
San Antonio, TX

Excursion fee: $25 per person.
Includes 2.5 glasses of wine plus cheese and charcuterie.
Wine will also be available for purchase or order.

Join us for an exploration of Mexican wines led by Salena Guipzot, WSETII and Sommelier, and her spouse Eduardo. Salena and Eduardo champion Mexican wine culture and are the only Certified Specialists in Mexican wine in Texas. Their business, Casa Guipzot, is an immigrant‑owned gem featuring a one‑of‑a‑kind wine shop and tasting room dedicated entirely to Mexican wines.

Sponsor Feature

Asylum Law Update

The BIA has published a series of cases changing asylum law, sometimes even weekly. This panel will review these cases, and any other important cases in asylum law, giving you a sense of where things stand in asylum law.

Speakers:
Jonathan Levy, American Gateways
Cynthia Milian, Houston, TX
Brian Manning, Houston, TX

H-1B Debrief and 2026 Filing Strategies

• FY2027 H-1B registration updates and system changes
• New H-1B regulation and wage levels
• How to prepare for successful cap filings once selected
• Potential RFE issues to watch for
• Navigating H-1B strategy amid the $100,000 government fee

Speakers:
Jonathan Micale, Dallas, TX
Emily Neumann, Houston, TX

Sponsor Feature

Habeas and Detention Related Litigation

As the Trump administration ramps up detention, attorneys have been using habeas to fight back. Panelists will provide an update on habeas and detention related litigation and discuss the current trends and best practices.

Speakers:
Maria Nereida Jaimes, Austin, TX
John Bray, Dallas, TX
Gracie Willis, Atlanta, GA

H-2B and Skilled Worker PERM

• H-2B updates and policy changes
• Top H-2B industries in Texas and related challenges
• Strategies for moving H-2B workers into “permanent” roles
• PERM practice/reminders for H-2B workers

Speakers:
Kristen Wilson, Austin, TX
Ed White, Boston, MA

Break

(Open room)

Plenary

Insights into Federal Court Practice

Federal judges and federal court practitioners will share best practices and tips for litigating in federal court. The session will focus on immigration related litigation. Federal judges will share points of view and insights from the bench.

Speakers:
Honorable Jason K. Pulliam, San Antonio Division, WDTX
Honorable Fred Biery, San Antonio Division, WDTX
Ozlem Barnard, Springfield, VA
Guillermo M. Hernandez, San Antonio, TX (moderator)

Sponsor Feature

Break and Gather Lunch

(Split room)

Lunch panel

EOIR Hot Topics

This panel will discuss current trends and best practices before EOIR.

Speakers:
Rick De Lara, Houston, TX
Zelene Zaleta, Harlingen, TX
Carrie Nguyen, Arlington, TX
Roberto Campos, San Antonio, TX (moderator)

Lunch panel

How to Prepare Businesses for Worksite Enforcement

• Recent ICE/HSI worksite activity
• DHS & FDNS home/worksite visits
• When to audit I-9/E-Verify records
• I-9 enforcement trends
• E-Verify enforcement trends

Speakers:
Maggie Murphy, Austin, TX
Rick Gump, Dallas, TX
Daniel Ramirez, Houston, TX

Strategies for Humanitarian Relief

Panelists will review the current state of affairs for DACA, U visas, and T visas.

Speakers:
Erica Schommer, San Antonio, TX
Jessica Aguirre, Santa Fe, NM
Whitney Drake, Austin, TX

L-1, E-2, and Related Permanent Resident Practice for Intracompany and Treaty Works

• Trends in L-1 processing with USCIS
• Trends in L-1 blanket visa processing
• RFE trends
• E-2 processing updates and recommended strategies

Speakers:
James Prappas, Houston, TX
Ramon Curiel, San Antonio, TX
Robin O’Donoghue, Cambridge, MA

Break

Sponsor Feature

USCIS/DOS Hot Topics

This panel will discuss current trends in family-based cases before USCIS and DOS.

Speakers:
Amber Weeks, Albuquerque, NM
Monica Saenz, San Antonio, TX
Andres Lopez, Charlotte, NC

Advanced PERM Strategy: Recruitment, Compliance, and Timing

• Understanding employer needs
  • Drafting job descriptions and minimum requirements
  • Substantially different roles
  • Job changes, promotions, successor-in-interest
• Timelines: Managing expectations in light of increased PERM processing times
  • Current PWD and PERM processing times
  • Regulatory timelines and advertising requirements
  • When to begin PERM and why (NIV requirements)
• Strategic recruitment
  • Who places ads
  • PERM and PWD timing
  • “Batch” PERM filings
  • Employer applicant review process

Speakers:
Krystal Alanis, Houston, TX
Paige Taylor, Dallas, TX
Anna G. Caltabiano, Houston, TX

Closing Remarks

End of conference