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.
Civil and Human Rights Organizations File Joint Complaint With DHS on Behalf of Families Forcibly Separated in Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Custody
A complaint on behalf of family members who have been forcibly separated while in custody at the southern border of the United States was filed with the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General and Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. Read More
The Trump Administration Is Separating Children From Asylum-Seeking Parents at the Border
An alarming trend along the U.S.-Mexico border has escalated within the last year: the inhumane practice of separating immigrant children from their parents at the hands of U.S. immigration officials. Not only is this practice deeply traumatic for the families involved, it flies in the face of established U.S. Read More
Complaint Documents 15 Cases of Family Separation at the Border
The practice of dividing families raises Constitutional due process concerns under the Fifth Amendment, violates United States’ obligations under international law, and contravenes voluminous evidence maintaining that family separation is not in the best interest of the child. Read More
Asylum Seekers Are Being Systematically Turned Away at the U.S.-Mexico Border
It is an egregious, well-documented reality that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) frequently turns away people seeking asylum along the U.S. southern border. But new evidence presented to a federal district court on Monday shows that CBP’s practice of blocking access to asylum—through the use of misrepresentations about… Read More
Class Action Lawsuit Challenges Practice of Turning Away Asylum Seekers at U.S. Southern Border
Washington D.C. – Today an immigrant rights group and several asylum seekers filed a class action lawsuit against officials at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in a federal district court in California, challenging the government’s unlawful practice of depriving asylum seekers of… Read More
American Immigration Council’s Statement on President Trump’s Immigration Principles
The White House released its long anticipated, "Immigration Principles and Policies," which lay out many of the already-stated aspirations of the Trump administration on immigration. The laundry list represents a wholesale attack on immigration and immigrants. It includes not only limits on immigration generally, but enables mass deportations and envisions bypassing necessary procedures that protect children and asylum seekers. Read More
Attorney General Sessions Attacks Asylum Seekers and Calls for More Fast-Track Deportations
During a public appearance at the Department of Justice on Thursday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions called on Congress to curb due process for immigrants by making it more difficult for an individual to seek asylum and to increase fast-track deportations. In his speech, Sessions focused heavily on America’s long-standing… Read More
White House Immigration Principles Are Released as DACA Deal Looms
The White House released its Immigration Principles and Policies late Sunday night, providing an outline of the Trump administration’s proposals on immigration. The principles were sent to Congressional leadership with a cover letter demanding these reforms be included in any legislation that addresses protection for Deferred Action for Childhood… Read More
Supreme Court Likely to Decide Constitutionality of Immigration Detention Without Bond
When the Supreme Court hears arguments in Jennings v. Rodriguez, the Justices will tackle a question eight of them considered in 2016: whether the Constitution allows the government to detain noncitizens for more than six months without ever giving them an opportunity for a bond hearing. Although the case… Read More
Increasing Numbers of Pregnant Women Facing Harm in Detention
The American Immigration Council, in collaboration with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC), and others filed this complaint on behalf of numerous women who are or were pregnant and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The complaint, filed with DHS’s… Read More
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