Today’s podcast is deeper dive into our ILS CLE event that happened on January 22, 2026 entitled, “GLOBAL IMMOBILITY: SUMMARY OF CURRENT U.S. TRAVEL BAN AND ESTA CHANGE IMPLICATIONS FOR AFFECTED FOREIGN NATIONALS”

Today, we’re tackling three developments that are colliding in a big way: U.S. travel bans, ongoing visa pauses, and the countdown to the upcoming World Cup. As millions prepare to travel for one of the world’s biggest sporting events, shifting immigration rules are creating uncertainty for travelers, businesses, and governments alike.

To help us understand the situation better we have: Avalyn Castillo Langemeier and Kathleen Campbell Walker.

Avalyn is a partner at Foster LLP in the Houston office and is Board Certified in Immigration and Nationality Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. She has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America, along with many other organizations. Avalyn focuses her practice on business immigration and immigration compliance. She represents employers and individuals, including in service, academia and healthcare, on employment-based immigration processes.

Kathleen is internationally recognized as a thought leader and for the breadth of her experience in immigration law and policy. Ms. Walker is a former national president and general counsel of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) as well as a member of its Board of Governors. She is a problem solver for complex and difficult immigration challenges in business immigration, compliance, audits, and a whole host of other issues. And she is not only a member of the International Law Section- she is also our current Chair.

On September 1, 2025, Texas S.B. 17 went into effect. This new law imposes sweeping restrictions on foreign ownership of real property in Texas, with broad implications for the real estate, agriculture, energy and other sectors.

Our guests today are:
Jenny Roan Forgey. Jenny is a senior counsel in the Land Use and Real Estate sections of Jackson Walker’s Austin Office. Jenny represents developers, owners, buyers, sellers, and investors in an array of commercial and residential real estate transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, development, entitlement, and governance in all asset classes; and

Robert Soza. Robert heads up Jackson Walker’s National Security and International Trade Group and provides comprehensive legal services to both U.S. based and foreign based clients navigating the complex landscape of United States national security and trade law. Robert has sophisticated experience assisting clients with Anti-Corruption, Anti-Money Laundering, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), U.S. export control, U.S. Customs, U.S. Trade Sanctions and CFIUS compliance.

This episode is a deeper dive into topics covered in the November 7, 2024 CLE "When Love Dies" sponsored by the ILS and the Family Law Section of the State Bar of Texas. We will compare the marital property laws of Texas and Mexico and their impact on cross-border clients with Judge Victor Negron, Jr. former District Judge and of Counsel with Ford & Murray, P.C., San Antonio, Texas and with Miriam Name, Partner at Cacheaux, Cavazos & Newton, San Antonio, Texas.

You can review course materials here: https://ilstexas.org/cle-events/

On March 20, 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued an emergency regulation which permits the Director of the CDC to “prohibit … the introduction” into the United States of individuals when the director believes that “there is serious danger of the introduction of [a communicable] disease into the United States.” This is known at Title 42.

Title 42 has allowed the federal government to turned away migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, including those who are seeking asylum. Those migrants are then sent back across the border to Mexican border cities where they face an uncertain future.

This has led to many migrants being subjected to kidnappings, attacks, violence, and the crowded conditions which potentially could cause a public health emergency.

To help us understand the situation better, we have asked two guests to return from the 6th Episode of the First Season: Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch and Lindsay Goldford Gray.

Kate is the managing partner of Lincoln-Goldfinch Law. She has appeared on news outlets such as NBC, BBC, MSNBC, The New York Times, Fox News, and National Public Radio as an immigration expert & regularly speaks on immigration to the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the State Bar of Texas, and the Austin Bar Association, as well as to community groups such as churches and schools.

Lindsay practices immigration law in Austin and is the CEO for VECINA, an organization that seeks to empower immigrant justice advocates by mentoring attorneys, educating communities, and mobilizing volunteers. She is also the co-host of VECINA's podcast, Inadmissible.

Also see below for coming announcements!

Attention, law students! The April 1st deadline is coming up for our Human Rights Essay Contest. First place award is a $1,500 cash scholarship! For complete guidelines: http://icont.ac/4OQZ8

Also, the State Bar of Texas International Law Section and the Dallas Bar Association International Law Section invite you to join us at the 32nd Annual International Law Institute April 19-20, 2023 at the SMU Campus in Dallas, Texas! Join us for a full day of panels as we convene international law experts to discuss the latest topics affecting Texas lawyers. Earn 6.75 hours of MCLE including 1 hour of Ethics! Register Now: http://icont.ac/4PDzK

Did you know that in 2021:

• A patent application named an Artificial Intelligence (AI) as the inventor and in at least 1 country- it is listed as an inventor;
• AI is being used by the US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) to aid in the patent search process; and
• a case involving a monkey that took a selfie may guide us in statutory construction?

It’s a brave new world and Darin Klemchuk is here to walk us through it. Darin is the managing partner and founder of the law firm, Klemchuk, LLP. He has handled more than 500 intellectual property disputes, including over 40 patent infringement cases and hundreds of IP enforcement actions. Darin represents Fortune 500® corporations, growing companies that benefit from broad intellectual property counseling, and startup companies with disruptive technologies.

Additionally at the end of the podcast at the 36:04 mark, the ILS gives a tribute to one of our own, Tom Wilson.

According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Global Innovation Policy Center, America’s Intellectual Property (IP):

•Is worth $6.6 trillion, more than the nominal GDP of any other country in the world and
•IP-intensive industries account for over 1/3– or 38.2%– of total U.S. GDP.

Given the extremely valuable nature of IP and patents, how does one go about protecting this valuable property and what does the international practitioner need to know about intellectual property? To help us understand the situation better, we have on the show today, Keith Rawlins.

Keith is a senior attorney at the Klemchuck law firm where he handles all forms of intellectual property with an emphasis in preparing, prosecuting, and managing U.S. and international patent portfolios. He provides legal opinions and analyses for non-infringement and invalidity of patents in the United States and abroad.

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, there are currently 103 foreign nationals under a sentence of death in the U.S. What happens when a foreign national finds themselves face to face with the ultimate criminal penalty in the United States? What entities are involved? Which laws apply? How does this intersect with international treaties and extradition?

To help us understand the situation better, we have on the show today, Patrick F. McCann.
Patrick is a retired former Navy officer, with both active and Reserve service. He has served as the President of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association and as a Director of the Fort Bend County Criminal Lawyers Association. He handles all manner of trial, appellate, and post-conviction matters at the state and federal level, including complex white collar and drug cases.

One of the great things about the Texas Bar is the wealth of knowledge of its members and different sections. Today we will be speaking with Immigration Law Section members and attorneys Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch and Lindsay Goldford Gray. Kate & Lindsay will be highlighting the differences in the way the United States treats displaced people depending on their country of origin, in particular Afghans & Ukrainians. In addition, we will be discussing the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP); Title 42 and the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, Biden v. Texas.

Recorded June 30, 2022.