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.
Extended Harsh Asylum Restrictions Won’t Fix Our Broken Immigration System
We need a balanced approach to addressing challenges at our southern border and our overwhelmed, broken asylum system. Read More
Texas Attorney General Paxton Continues Fight Against NGOs That Serve Migrants
Update on 9/13/24: On August 23rd, Harris County District Judge Ravi K. Sandill denied Attorney General Ken Paxton’s request to halt FIEL’s operations and revoke its nonprofit status, effectively stopping the case from moving forward. FIEL Houston is being represented by MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund)… Read More
Kamala Harris’ Opportunity to Reframe the Immigration Conversation
The American Immigration Council does not endorse or oppose candidates for elected office. We aim to provide analysis regarding the implications of the election on the U.S. immigration system. As the country continues to dissect the ramifications from President Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the presidential race, the… Read More
Biden’s New Changes to the Asylum Process: What You Need to Know
On June 4, President Biden issued a sweeping order under section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act claiming that allows him to “suspend the entry” of most migrants who cross the border between ports of entry, echoing a similar order issued by President Trump in November… Read More
Biden’s Executive Action Will Not Make Border More Orderly or Secure
The U.S. government needs to be able to quickly and fairly sort out migrants who have a valid asylum claim, but instead of investing in U.S. ports of entry, immigration courts, or more options for legal migration, the order focuses on harsh and arbitrary turnbacks. Read More
Biden Proposes Rule to Quickly Remove Certain Migrants During Initial Screening Process at the Border
On May 9, the Biden administration proposed a rule that would allow asylum officers to consider and impose certain restrictions or “bars” to the initial asylum screening process at the border. Currently, these bars are considered later in the asylum process at a full hearing before an immigration judge. Read More
Civil Rights Groups File Lawsuit to Block Iowa’s Unconstitutional SF 2340
Civil rights groups filed a federal lawsuit today to block SF 2340, one of the worst, most far-reaching immigration laws ever passed in the state of Iowa. Read More
The State of Texas Isn’t Just Creating Chaos and Cruelty at the Border—It’s Trying to Break the Things That Work
For decades, the Catholic nonprofit Annunciation House has worked to support migrants in El Paso, Texas. It’s provided shelter, food and services to countless people who have just arrived in the United States—many of whom have been released directly from government custody after being apprehended and processed by… Read More
Refugees and Asylum Seekers Generate Billions of Dollars More Than They Cost the U.S. Government
A report released this month by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) found that refugees and asylees have generated tens of billions of dollars more in local, state, and federal tax revenues over the last 15 years than they have cost in direct government services—ultimately representing… Read More
Senate Border Bill a Step in Right Direction, but Falls Short in Guaranteeing Due Process for Asylum Seekers
On Sunday night, a bipartisan group of senators released the “Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024." Jeremy Robbins, Executive Director of the American Immigration Council, responds to this controversial legislation that faces an uncertain future. Read More
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