Asylum

Asylum grants legal protection to foreign nationals already in the U.S. or arriving at the border who can’t go back to their home country because of persecution. Learn more about the asylum system in the United States, including how asylum is defined, eligibility requirements, and the difficult and complex application process.

The Electronic Nationality Verification Program: An Overview

The Electronic Nationality Verification Program: An Overview

U.S. immigration agencies use a range of programs to deport—or remove—certain noncitizens from the United States. Under the Trump administration, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and two of its component agencies, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), expanded their avenues for removal. One method, the Electronic Nationality Verification (ENV) program, was touted as a way to expedite the repatriation of certain Central Americans. Read More

Why Biden Must Dismantle the Migrant Protection Protocols Now

Why Biden Must Dismantle the Migrant Protection Protocols Now

January 29, 2021 marks the two-year anniversary of the Trump administration’s so-called “Migrant Protection Protocols” (MPP), informally known as “Remain in Mexico.” Asylum seekers and advocates are using the occasion to call for an end to the program, which has prevented thousands of people from accessing a meaningful opportunity… Read More

The “Migrant Protection Protocols”: an Explanation of the Remain in Mexico Program

The “Migrant Protection Protocols”: an Explanation of the Remain in Mexico Program

Under the “Migrant Protection Protocols”, individuals who arrive at the southern border and ask for asylum (either at a port of entry or after crossing the border between ports of entry) are given notices to appear in immigration court and sent back to Mexico. Read More

Federal Court Blocks Dramatic Immigration Courts Fee Increases

Federal Court Blocks Dramatic Immigration Courts Fee Increases

A federal court blocked nearly all of a Trump administration rule that would have drastically increased fees in immigration proceedings in which the government seeks to deport immigrants, many of whom are long-term residents of this country. Read More

Court Blocks Trump Administration Attempt to Thwart Court Order Protecting Asylum Seekers

Court Blocks Trump Administration Attempt to Thwart Court Order Protecting Asylum Seekers

A federal court issued a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration’s latest attempt to prevent asylum seekers from accessing the U.S. asylum process. Read More

‘Death to Asylum’ Rule Halted in the Last Days of the Trump Administration

‘Death to Asylum’ Rule Halted in the Last Days of the Trump Administration

A federal judge in California blocked a sweeping “death to asylum” rule on January 8, just three days before the rule was scheduled to take effect. The asylum rule is just one of many regulations attempting to limit access to asylum, but one of the Trump administration’s most expansive. Read More

Trump’s Presidency Begins and Ends With Demonizing Immigrants

Trump’s Presidency Begins and Ends With Demonizing Immigrants

Five years ago, Donald Trump descended an elevator and declared that Mexico was sending rapists and “bringing crime” across the border. Now, while America still reels from the deadly insurrectionist attack on the Capitol building, Trump is set to travel to Texas on January 12 to boast about the… Read More

Immigrant Rights Advocates Ask Court to Block Trump Administration Attempt to Thwart Court Order

Immigrant Rights Advocates Ask Court to Block Trump Administration Attempt to Thwart Court Order

Immigrant rights advocates moved for a temporary restraining order to block the Trump administration’s latest attempt to circumvent an earlier court order prohibiting the government from applying an asylum ban to people whom U.S. Customs and Border Protection had previously turned away from ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border. Read More

How Biden Can Restore Humanitarian Protection at the Border

How Biden Can Restore Humanitarian Protection at the Border

This article is part of the Moving Forward on Immigration series that explores the future of immigration in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election.  The United States has long been a place of refuge for those seeking protection. At least one million people have arrived at our southern border… Read More

Challenging Drastic Immigration Court Fee Increases That Limit Access to Justice

Challenging Drastic Immigration Court Fee Increases That Limit Access to Justice

The Council filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s rule that would drastically increase fees across-the-board in high-stakes immigration proceedings. Read More

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