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.
Sessions Rolls Back Asylum Protections for Domestic and Gang Violence Victims
Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced on Monday his decision to overturn earlier court precedent effectively rolling back protections for asylum-seeking men, women, and children fleeing domestic violence and criminal gangs. Sessions referred Matter of A-B- to himself earlier this year—a case involving a Salvadoran woman who… Read More
American Immigration Council’s Statement on Attorney General’s Decision Restricting Access to Asylum for Victims of Domestic and Gang Violence
Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced today that he is taking away a vital lifeline to victims of severe domestic and gang violence. Sessions issued a decision unilaterally overruling important precedent recognizing that such individuals may qualify for asylum in the United States. Read More
Asylum Seeker Files Lawsuit After CBP Officers Falsify Paperwork and Then Deport Him
Time and time again, immigrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border are never given a meaningful opportunity by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers to explain why they fear returning to their country of origin. All too often CBP officers fail to follow the rules designed to protect asylum… Read More
Lawsuit Seeks To Hold CBP Accountable for Turning Away Asylum Seeker and Falsifying Paper Trail
José Crespo Cagnant filed a lawsuit to hold the government accountable for abusive, unlawful conduct and depriving him of an opportunity to apply for asylum. Read More
Holding CBP Accountable for Turning Away Asylum Seeker and Falsifying Paper Trail
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers all too frequently deny individuals fleeing persecution and torture their right to seek protection in the United States, issue summary removal orders against them, and then falsify documents to support their illegal actions. Read More
Immigrants Are Dying in ICE Custody, So We’re Demanding an Investigation
The government has a longstanding history of failing to provide adequate medical and mental health care to immigrants detained in the Denver Contract Detention Facility in Aurora, CO. This systemic failure has led to widespread insufficiencies within the facility—as well as the tragic death of two immigrants entrusted in its… Read More
United States Seeks to Reject Asylum Seekers by Designating Mexico a Safe Third Country
For generations, the United States has opened its doors to individuals from around the world seeking safety and protection. The process of seeking asylum in the United States is rigorous and well-established under U.S. law. But in a cynical attempt to reject asylum seekers who present… Read More
DHS Prosecutes Over 600 Parents in Two-Week Span and Seizes their Children
Following implementation of a "zero tolerance" policy by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Justice (DOJ), where migrants who enter without inspection are referred for criminal prosecution, a DHS official announced that 638 parents who crossed with children had been prosecuted in just a 13-day span this month. The admission raises a variety of questions and concerns about what happened to the children while those prosecutions occurred and where those children are today. Read More
Statement for House Homeland Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security Hearing “Stopping the Daily Border Caravan: Time to Build a Policy Wall”
The American Immigration Council submitted a written statement to the House Homeland Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security for a May 22, 2018 hearing on “Stopping the Daily Border Caravan: Time to Build a Policy Wall.” The statement covers our analysis and research regarding the nation’s asylum system and the… Read More
Increase in Border Prosecutions Will Separate More Families
Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting Director Thomas Homan announced today that the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security will be stepping up prosecutions of individuals along the southern border—likely resulting in the criminalization of asylum seekers and more family separation. Read More
Make a contribution
Make a direct impact on the lives of immigrants.
