From June 17 to 20, 2026, thousands of immigration attorneys, law professors, paralegals, and students gathered at the Marriott Marquis and the adjacent Manchester Grand Hyatt on the San Diego waterfront for the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Annual Conference and Webcast — known this year as AC26. It is the largest annual event in U.S. immigration law, and AILA framed the moment plainly: immigration law and policy are at a pivotal juncture.
For clients and families navigating the system, a lawyers' conference can feel remote. But the topics that draw thousands of practitioners are a useful barometer of where the pressure points are right now. Here is what stood out.
A program built around a changing landscape
AC26 offered more than 90 CLE-eligible sessions — part of more than 120 sessions overall — across four days and six tracks. Newer attorneys could follow a Fundamentals Track, while experienced practitioners chose among specialized tracks spanning family immigration, business immigration, humanitarian issues, removal defense, and litigation. The heavy emphasis on removal defense and litigation — including sessions on trial skills, habeas corpus, and third-country removals — reflects an enforcement environment that many practitioners are preparing for in earnest.
Business and employment immigration stayed front and center
Sessions addressed practical tools for H-1B cases and the PERM labor-certification process — the everyday machinery behind work visas and many employment-based green cards. For applicants, the takeaway is less about any single announcement and more about a consistent message across the profession: documentation quality and preparation matter more than ever.
AI arrived as a practice tool
Programming taught attorneys how to bring AI tools into their work safely and ethically — for case management, efficiency, and client service. The profession is adapting to new technology while stressing ethics, accuracy, and client confidentiality.
