Refugee Status
Council and AILA Submit FOIA Request Seeking Information on Trump Administration Suspension of Green Card Applications
On March 25, 2025, media reports surfaced indicating U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)—the agency in charge of approving green card applications—stopped processing green card applications filed by asylees and refugees. The suspension would affect refugees, which the U.S. government has already… Read More
Council Litigation Seeks Refugee Processing Data
This Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit seeks to compel the U.S. Department of State to release data about the demographics, processing, and adjudication of refugees’ applications for admission into the United States through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. The United States has long played a leading role in resettling… Read More
Council Lawsuit Challenges USCIS Policies for Withholding Information in Refugee Case Files
This FOIA lawsuit seeks to compel U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) to end policies of unlawfully withholding application assessments, interview notes, and other records from refugees’ case files. Read More
Council Litigation Seeks Refugee Processing Data
FOIA lawsuit seeks to compel the U.S. Department of State to release data about the demographics, processing, and adjudication of refugees’ applications for admission into the United States through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. Read More
NEW REPORT: Gaps in Detention Data from Torrance Detention Facility Show Racial Disparities
In a New Mexico detention center, ICE categorized People with African, Asian, and South American backgrounds as racially ‘white’ Read More
Torrance County Detention Facility’s Troubling Role in Detaining Haitian Migrants During the 2021 Del Rio Incident
Table of Contents Background Methodology & Organization Analysis of Detained Individuals Race and Ethnicity Analysis Placements into Torrance in 2021 Haitians at Torrance Abuses Continue into 2022 Conclusion Executive Summary The Torrance County Detention Facility (Torrance) is one of approximately… Read More
Ninth Circuit Upholds Rights of Asylum Seekers, Rules “Metering” Unlawful
In a decision issued on Oct. 23, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals largely affirmed a lower court decision that found the U.S. government's systemic practice of turning back asylum seekers ("metering") at the U.S.-Mexico border is unlawful. Read More
The Council Sues the Department of State for Data on Where the Agency Resettles Refugees
On April 25, the Council filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) with the Department of State to obtain locational and demographic data on refugees admitted to the United States. Read More
The Council Seeks Records on How the Government Interdicts Migrants at Sea
The American Immigration Council filed requests for records under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to learn about the process migrants go through after they are interdicted by U.S. Coast Guard personnel. Read More
Government’s Move to Terminate Flores Agreement Could Leave Immigrant Children Unprotected
The Department of Justice asked a court to partially terminate the decades-old agreement that protects the rights of immigrant children earlier this month. The government argues that the Flores Settlement Agreement is no longer needed because a new Department of Health and Human Services regulation finalized on April… Read More
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