Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Why It’s Bad to Force Asylum Seekers to Seek Protection Elsewhere

Why It’s Bad to Force Asylum Seekers to Seek Protection Elsewhere

The Supreme Court issued an emergency ruling on Wednesday allowing the Trump administration to implement a ban on asylum seekers at the southern land border. The ban applies to people who transited through another country prior to arriving at the border. Although the ruling is a temporary development while litigation… Read More

USCIS Wants to Make it Harder for Asylum Seekers to Get Work Permits

USCIS Wants to Make it Harder for Asylum Seekers to Get Work Permits

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently proposed a rule that will further delay asylum seekers’ ability to receive work authorization. Under current law, USCIS must grant or deny an initial asylum applicant’s employment authorization application within 30 days. Under the proposed rule, USCIS would have… Read More

Chaos and Dysfunction at the Border: The Remain in Mexico Program Firsthand

Chaos and Dysfunction at the Border: The Remain in Mexico Program Firsthand

The first thing many people forcibly returned to Mexico tell you is that they’re afraid. Afraid of the cartels, afraid of Mexican immigration officials, and afraid of the months of uncertainty. This is what they’ve faced since the Trump administration sent them back to Mexico as part of the “Remain… Read More

Investigation Demanded as Medical Care for Detained Immigrant Children Worsens

Investigation Demanded as Medical Care for Detained Immigrant Children Worsens

Border Patrol agents placed a detained 9-year-old girl with a kidney disease at high risk of a urinary tract infection by not allowing her to shower or change her underwear for five days. Agents also denied a 3-year-old medical care after she vomited 10 times in an hour. Agents failed… Read More

Iraqi Interpreters Who Risked Their Lives Working With US Military Shut Out by Trump Administration

Iraqi Interpreters Who Risked Their Lives Working With US Military Shut Out by Trump Administration

Iraqi interpreters who risked their lives to work with the American military have been effectively shut out from obtaining the special U.S. visa they were promised. The Trump administration issued only two visas to former Iraqi interpreters last year, according to Department of State data provided… Read More

US Government May Be Illegally Transporting Would-Be Asylum Seekers Back to Danger

US Government May Be Illegally Transporting Would-Be Asylum Seekers Back to Danger

Over 2,000 people from Central American who were seeking to live in the United States have reportedly given up and accepted a “free ride” home under a new, controversial program funded by the U.S. government and a United Nations agency. The “Assisted Voluntary Return” (AVR) program… Read More

Trump Administration Slashes Protections for Immigrant Children in Government Custody

Trump Administration Slashes Protections for Immigrant Children in Government Custody

The Trump administration announced a new regulation on Wednesday allowing for the indefinite detention of immigrant children. The new regulation will end the Flores Settlement Agreement. Flores is a decades-old agreement created to ensure that immigrant children are held in safe and sanitary conditions while in government custody. Flores also… Read More

Trump’s Latest Asylum Ban Goes Into Effect in Texas and New Mexico

Trump’s Latest Asylum Ban Goes Into Effect in Texas and New Mexico

The Trump administration’s latest asylum ban went into effect in New Mexico and Texas—but not California and Arizona—on Friday after a ruling from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The ruling amounts to a partial victory for President Trump. While the ban covers the border states outside of the Ninth… Read More

USCIS Announces 7 International Offices Will Remain Open Despite Overall Shutdown

USCIS Announces 7 International Offices Will Remain Open Despite Overall Shutdown

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently released more details about its plan to close its international offices. In an August 9 memorandum, USCIS clarified that all but seven of its 23 international offices will be shuttered within the next year. USCIS’s International Operations Division has a diverse mission,… Read More

Rushing Immigration Court Cases Through 'Rocket Dockets' Deprives Families of Due Process

Rushing Immigration Court Cases Through ‘Rocket Dockets’ Deprives Families of Due Process

In an attempt to rush through immigrant families’ court cases, the government began implementing “rocket dockets” in September 2018 for parents and children who had recently entered the United States together without authorization. The program is intended to discourage Central American families from coming to the United States by quickly… Read More

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