Immigration Benefits and Relief
The immigration laws and regulations provide some avenues to apply for lawful status from within the U.S. or to seek relief from deportation. The eligibility requirements for these benefits and relief can be stringent, and the immigration agencies often adopt overly restrictive interpretations of the requirements. Learn about advocacy and litigation that has been and can be undertaken to ensure that noncitizens have a fair chance to apply for the benefits and relief for which they are eligible. Providing avenues for legal status, protection, and family reunification is vital to ensuring humanitarian protection for immigrants. We are leading policy changes that open more opportunities like asylum, visas for victims of crime or human trafficking, and relief for long-term residents. Explore the resources below to learn more.
The Trump Administration Stopped Processing Certain Green Card Applications. Our FOIA Found What Happened Next.
Under the second Trump administration, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has repeatedly paused the processing of applications for all types of immigration benefits, including applications for legal permanent residency, commonly referred to as adjustment of status or getting your green card. One of the first suspensions occurred between March… Read More
New USCIS Memo May Force More Green Card Applicants to Apply from Abroad, Causing Chaos and Confusion
Update: The text and headline of this post were updated on June 1, 2026, to reflect recent statements made by USCIS. On May 21, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a policy memorandum (PM-602-0199) concerning green card applications filed within the United States. While the Trump administration presents… Read More
New Dashboard Reveals Insights Into USCIS Backlogs and Processing Trends
The U.S. immigration system is broken — it’s a phrase heard often in discussions about the state of immigration in the U.S. Now, a new interactive dashboard from the American Immigration Council allows anyone with an internet connection to better understand our dysfunctional system of legal immigration. The… Read More
Prolonged Limbo for Haitian TPS Holders: What Recent Court Decisions Mean
Updates April 13, 2026 — The Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments related to Haitian and Syrian Temporary Protected Status (TPS), with oral arguments taking place in late April and a decision later this summer. The court’s ruling will significantly impact the estimated 6,100 Syrian and 330,000 Haitian… Read More
Capture of Maduro Proves Trump Has Used Venezuelans as Political Pawns in Immigration Policy
With the capture and prosecution of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, the United States’ convoluted—and often contradictory—policies toward Venezuelan immigrants have been thrown into stark relief. And Venezuelans living in the United States continue to feel the whiplash. Over the past five years, Venezuelans fleeing political persecution or economic chaos may… Read More
Trump Administration Responds to Tragedy By Putting Hundreds of Thousands of Legal Immigrants’ Lives On Hold
After the tragic shooting of two members of the West Virginia National Guard in DC last week, the Trump administration has taken this opportunity to further escalate its rhetoric against immigrants from countries it deems undesirable. Trump himself blustered that he was going to halt all migration from the “Third… Read More
A Texas-Only DACA? Why This Imminent Ruling Could Upend National Policy
Tens of thousands of DACA recipients in Texas may soon be stripped of their ability to work in the U.S. lawfully—and the consequences won’t stop at the state line. In January 2025, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held that portions of a 2022 DACA regulation – those that… Read More
Legal Groups File Emergency Motion to Stop ICE from Jailing Immigrant Teens in Adult Detention
Washington, D.C, October 4 — Advocacy groups the American Immigration Council and the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) filed an emergency motion on October 4, seeking to enforce a 2021 court ruling (in the Garcia Ramirez v. ICE case) that prevents ICE from illegally locking up… Read More
DACA Recipients Keep Getting Detained, Despite Protections
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin recently told NBC News that “DACA does not confer any form of legal status in this country.” Then she went further: any DACA recipient may be detained and deported, and urged them to self-deport. DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, is… Read More
Axel, a DACA recipient trying to protect his community
Since President Trump’s election, Axel Herrera has seen a growing number of local police traffic checkpoints popping up across his North Carolina community. As a DACA recipient, Axel has legal protection from deportation, but some of his friends and family members have already been detained or deported following random traffic… Read More
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