Legal Resources and Litigation

The American Immigration Council submitted a written statement to the House Committee on Homeland Security for a November 19, 2019 hearing on the “Examining the Human Rights and Legal Implications of DHS’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ Policy.”

The statement shares our analysis and research regarding the nation's asylum system and the obligations of the U.S. government to asylum seekers, as well as our deep concern around the administration's family separation policies and increased prosecution of migrants.

The statement shares our analysis and research regarding the nation's asylum system and the United States' obligations, as well as our deep concern around the administration's family separation policies and increased prosecution of migrants for entry-related offenses that the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have implemented.

The statement shares our analysis and research regarding the nation's immigration courts, due process, and the importance of a truly fair day in court.

The statement addresses immigration court backlogs, the detailing of immigration judges to border facilities, detention policies, asylum-free zones, unaccompanied alien child definitions, and other challenges that are currently undermining due process within the immigration courts.

The statement shares our analysis of infrastructure and personnel investments already made by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as well as our reporting on improvements needed at its border enforcement agency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), to ensure integrity of operations along the Southern Border.

The statement emphasizes the important role that the United States has played in the past in protecting the world's most vulnerable people and why we need to continue to welcome those fleeing dire situations and not deny them entry.

Our empirical research shows that there is abundant evidence that immigration is not linked to higher crime rates and that immigration is associated with lower crime rates and immigrants are less likely than the native-born to be serious criminals.

The statement highlights the critical role that high-skilled foreign employees can bring, especially with regards to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

The statement shares our analysis and research regarding the children and families that have fled Central American violence to the United States.

The statement explains in detail the 13- step screening process that refugees must clear in order to be granted refugee status in the U.S. and what the steps are once an individual is granted refugee status.

The statement discusses the rigorous 13-step screening process that an individual must undergo before entering the United States as a refugee and explains the current response to the Syrian refugee crisis and how the Obama administration can better address the rising numbers of Syrian refugees by increasing the number of refugees that the United States resettles in the next fiscal year.

The statement highlights that immigrants are less likely to be serious criminals than the native-born and that high rates of immigration are associated with lower rates of violent crimes and property crimes.

The statement details our research and policy analysis on why attempts to restrict "birthright citizenship" would be unconstitutional, unnecessary, impractical, counterproductive, and contrary to American values.

The statement shares our analysis and research regarding the legal and historical authority for the President's recent deferred action programs, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA), details the significant economic benefits of the deferred actions programs, and explains significant social benefits of the programs.

The United States government has failed to enact legislation, and in this has failed to recognize that enforcement with reform is the only effective way to repair our broken immigration system.