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/