Refugees and Asylum Seekers
Council and WilmerHale File Administrative Challenge to Burdensome Records Requirement for Employment Authorization
The Council and the law firm WilmerHale filed a petition with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) challenging the requirement that asylum seekers provide a wide range of criminal records when applying for an employment authorization document (EAD). U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services revised the… Read More
Comments on Proposed Restrictions to Asylum Procedures and Bars to Eligibility
The Trump administration has proposed amending regulations that affect asylum eligibility. If implemented, the regulations would shut America’s doors to many of those most in need of protection. The Council opposes the proposed new rules, which include sweeping new criminal bars and changes in the treatment of vacated convictions and sentences.
Statement for the House Committee on Homeland Security “Examining the Human Rights and Legal Implications of DHS’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ Policy.”
The American Immigration Council submitted a written statement to the House Committee on Homeland Security for a November 19, 2019 hearing on the “Examining the Human Rights and Legal Implications of DHS’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ Policy.” Read More
Firsthand Accounts of Medical Negligence in Customs and Border Protection Facilities
The administrative complaint filed with government oversight agencies highlights a systematic failure to provide adequate medical care to children in Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody. This violates CBP’s own internal guidance and extensive medical guidelines. Read More
Opposing the “Asylum Ban 2.0” Interim Final Rule
The American Immigration Council and the American Immigration Lawyers Association submitted a comment explaining how the interim final rule on Asylum Eligibility and Procedural Modification strips fundamental protections from vulnerable individuals fleeing persecution and would return bona fide asylum seekers to harm. This new rule would… Read More
Inadequate Medical Care at Colorado Immigration Detention Continues
New evidence shows the woefully inadequate medical and mental health care in an immigration detention center in Aurora, Colorado. Here are some of the detainees’ experiences we documented: Read More
Statement for the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security on “Stopping the Daily Border Caravan: Time to Build a Policy Wall”
The statement shares our analysis and research regarding the nation's asylum system and the United States' obligations, as well as our deep concern around the administration's family separation policies and increased prosecution of migrants for entry-related offenses that the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have implemented. Read More
Statement for the Senate Judiciary Committee on “The Unaccompanied Children Crisis: Does the Administration Have a Plan to Stop the Border Surge and Adequately Monitor the Children?”
The statement shares our analysis and research regarding the children and families that have fled Central American violence to the United States. Read More
Statement for the Senate Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest on “Oversight of the Administration’s FY 2017 Refugee Resettlement Program”
The statement emphasizes the important role that the United States has played in the past in protecting the world's most vulnerable people and why we need to continue to welcome those fleeing dire situations and not deny them entry. Read More
Statement for the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest on “Oversight of the Administration’s FY 2016 Refugee Resettlement Program: Fiscal and Security Implications”
The statement discusses the rigorous 13-step screening process that an individual must undergo before entering the United States as a refugee and explains the current response to the Syrian refugee crisis and how the Obama administration can better address the rising numbers of Syrian refugees by increasing the number of refugees that the United States resettles in the next fiscal year. Read More
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