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.
Council and AILA File Lawsuit to Compel DHS and USCIS to Release Details about the Suspension of Processing Asylees’ and Refugees’ Green Card Applications
On March 25, 2025, media reports surfaced indicating that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)—the agency in charge of approving green card applications and other immigration benefits—had stopped processing green card applications filed by asylees and refugees. The suspension impacts tens of thousands of individuals who fled their home countries… Read More
Challenging the Shutdown of Asylum Access at Ports of Entry
On June 11, 2025, asylum seekers, Al Otro Lado, and Haitian Bridge Alliance filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California to challenge the asylum shutdown policy and the cancellation of CBP One appointments. Read More
Asylum Seekers Challenge Trump’s Asylum Shutdown Policy
People fleeing persecution and torture in their home countries have joined immigrant rights organizations to challenge the Trump administration’s unlawful shutdown of asylum along the U.S.-Mexico border. Read More
Impugnación de la Desaparición bajo la Ley de Enemigos Extranjeros sin el Debido Proceso
El Consejo Americano de Inmigración y la ACLU presentaron una petición de hábeas corpus para impedir el traslado de Y.A.P.A. al CECOT sin darle una oportunidad significativa de comparecer ante un juez para revisar las acusaciones del gobierno en su contra. Read More
Challenging Disappearance under the Alien Enemies Act Without Due Process
The American Immigration Council and the ACLU filed a habeas petition to prevent our petitioner's transfer to CECOT without affording him a meaningful opportunity to appear before a judge to review the government’s allegations against him. Read More
Trump Administration Abruptly Stopped Processing Green Card Applications Filed by Asylees, Refugees. A FOIA Request Seeks Answers
On March 25, news reports surfaced that the Trump administration imposed a suspension in the processing of certain green card applications. The news reports stated that a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official confirmed the suspension. The agency said the suspension applied to people who entered the country… Read More
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
Expedited Removal Explainer
Expedited removal is a process by which low-level immigration officers can quickly deport certain noncitizens who are undocumented or have committed fraud or misrepresentation. Read More
Trump’s Day 1 Orders Use Fearmongering to Expand His Immigration Authority
On January 20, 2025, the day President Trump took office for his second term, he issued a series of immigration-related executive orders and proclamations that will quickly re-shape the U.S. immigration system. These executive orders affect nearly every facet of a complex and demanding system. Most of the policy… Read More
Statement of the American Immigration Council Submitted to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Hearing on Remain in Mexico
The American Immigration Council submitted a statement for the record for the January 16, 2025, hearing in the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on the Remain in Mexico program. Read More
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