Mayorkas Nomination Brings Hope of Change For Sports Immigration
Updated: Jan 2, 2021
With Alejandro Mayorkas’ nomination for Director of Homeland Security, we can only hope that this will signal a return to our history as a welcoming nation as he said in his remarks with the President-Elect today. AILA has shared its vision for a welcoming America with the incoming administration and it is telling that the Secretary Nominee referenced this phrase in his remarks. We can only hope that in the realm of sports immigration and beyond, that this will mark a change in the draconian policies of harsh adjudication standards that exceed the scope of the law and that the Secretary Nominee will transform the attitude of immigration officers who have continued to attempt to keep many qualified professional athletes out of the country in recent years.
*Steven M. Ladik is past President of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and represents numerous professional golfers on the LPGA Tour and PGA TOUR. He also serves as the outside Immigration Counsel to the National Football League. He is a Partner at Seltzer Chadwick Soefje & Ladik, PLLC. www.realclearcounsel.com
