It was her very first asylum case. Twenty-five years ago, immigration lawyer Crystal L. Williams represented a Salvadoran woman who had walked from Mexico to the United States seeking refuge. Several of her family members were opponents of the government of El Salvador, and for being related to them, the woman had been arrested and tortured.
The details are so horrific that even now, Ms. Williams cannot speak of them. Though unique in nature (only exiled or escaped members of a social group were given refuge) this case marked Ms. Williams’ first asylum victory and sealed her fate as an advocate and change agent of immigration law.
On Oct. 1, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) named her as its executive director. A celebration will be held Friday in her honor to note her new position. In between, thousands are expected to attend a rally today on Capital Hill to push for immigration reform.
Ms. Williams, a Hagerstown, Md., native who resides in Alexandria, served AILA as deputy director of programs for the past four years and will be the third executive director since the formation of the association’s national office in the District in 1982.
According to its Web site, AILA is the national association of more than 11,000 attorneys and law professors who practice and teach immigration law.
AILA member attorneys represent U.S. families seeking permanent residence for close family members and also U.S. businesses seeking talent from the global marketplace. AILA members also represent foreign students, entertainers, athletes and asylum seekers, often on a pro bono basis.
Founded in 1946, AILA is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that provides continuing legal education, information, professional services and expertise through its 36 chapters and more than 50 national committees.
AILA President Bernard P. Wolfsdorf, a South African who shares an Oct. 7 birthday with the 54-year-old Ms. Williams, sought asylum in the United States 30 years ago as an anti-apartheid advocate.
“Crystal’s a tough, smart woman,” he said. “She is ideally qualified to lead AILA in our efforts to fix our immigration laws to benefit our nation by providing economic stimulus and promoting due process.”
There are approximately 12 million immigrants in the United States, many of whom are productive and law-abiding, Ms. Williams said.
She maintains that the absence of a clear legal path to immigrate has given rise to an illegal immigration system that is ridden with mounting problems, such as illegal smuggling and employers hiring undocumented immigrants. “There are a lot of challenges ahead,” she said.
However, when it comes to meeting and conquering challenges, Ms. Williams, a five-year survivor of breast cancer, does not shirk. She said she is determined to advance AILA’s mission to educate the public about the ways in which U.S. immigration law and policy serve the national interest by reuniting American families, protecting refugees and providing U.S. employers with the specialized skills they need to remain globally competitive.
“With respect to local governments attempting to enforce immigration laws: It doesn’t work,” she said.
Ms. Williams explained: “First, immigration is a very complex area, and the training for local police to understand it enough to enforce it becomes cost-prohibitive. Second, local police involvement tends to invite racial profiling because of the complexities of understanding who is and isn’t in a legal status. Third, and perhaps most importantly, it significantly harms the relationship of the police with the communities they serve. Victims are less willing to report crimes, witnesses are less willing to come forward, and the police are greeted in immigrant communities with an atmosphere of distrust.
“It is no accident that police chief organizations have come out against local enforcement of immigration laws. They recognize the harm done to their primary mission,” she continued. “Finally, it harms local economies. The kinds of hyberbole seen in [Prince William] County and elsewhere sends a signal of unwelcome to immigrants, including many here legally, resulting in exactly what we’ve seen there: a mass exodus of business owners, jobs, customers, taxpayers and homeowners that depresses the local economy. Immigration is a federal issue, and it is up to the U.S. Congress and the administration to reform the immigration laws in a way that takes the pressure off of local governments.”
During a meeting at the White House last month with immigration lawyers, advocates and officials, President Obama reiterated his promise to start moving on immigration reform in Congress. He has not given a timetable, though.
The Associated Press quotes him: “Overhauling immigration policy will be hard, but I think we can get it done.”
That’s good news to Ms. Williams, who has earned a tough-as-nails reputation among her peers and government officials for her clear and objective analysis of the intricacies of immigration laws.
“Everyone knows Crystal’s reputation for keeping the agencies in line, and now the legislative advocates are looking forward to having her around to keep Congress in line, too,” Mr. Wolfsdorf said.
Aside from her duties as the primary spokeswoman for AILA’s national office, Ms. Williams will continue to reunite immigrant families, help refugees seeking asylum and provide resources to immigrant lawyers.
On taking this job, she says, “I’m still here, and I plan to be here a long time.”
• Geraldine Washington is a freelance writer living in the District.
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