Court Hears Challenge to Asylum Turnback

San Diego, CA - On Friday, October 13, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California will hear arguments in Al Otro Lado and Haitian Bridge Alliance v. Mayorkas, a federal lawsuit challenging the Biden administration’s unlawful policy of turning back people seeking asylum at ports of entry along the southern border without a CBP One appointment.

WHEN: Friday, October 13, 10:00 am PT / 1:00 pm ET

WHERE: The hearing will be available to view live on Zoom:
https://casd-uscourts-gov.zoomgov.com/j/1611182907?pwd=L1liV3MyWlczcVkxVWpYNEN1N3NvUT09

Meeting ID: 161 118 2907

Passcode: 960805

WHAT: On Friday the court will consider the plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction against the Biden administration’s latest turnback policy. Under the policy, asylum seekers are required to secure an advance appointment via the government’s inadequate CBP One smartphone app before requesting protection at the U.S. border. The plaintiffs are seeking an injunction that would require the government to follow its own binding guidance and process all people seeking asylum at ports of entry, regardless of whether they are lucky enough to obtain a CBP One appointment. 

WHO: Attorneys will argue the case before Judge Andrew G. Schopler. This case was
brought on behalf of two immigrant rights organizations, Al Otro Lado and Haitian Bridge Alliance, and nine individual plaintiffs seeking to represent a broad class of asylum seekers subject to the new turnback policy. The organizations and asylum seekers are represented by the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, the American Immigration Council, and the Center for Constitutional Rights, along with Mayer Brown LLP and others.

If you are interested in covering Friday’s hearing and would like to schedule an interview with Al Otro Lado, Haitian Bridge Alliance, or a member of the litigation team, please contact Brianna Krong at [email protected] or (415) 581-8835.

###

Al Otro Lado provides holistic legal and humanitarian support to refugees, deportees, and other migrants in the US and Tijuana through a multidisciplinary, client-centered, harm reduction-based practice.  They engage in individual representation, human rights monitoring, medical-legal partnerships, and impact litigation to protect the rights of immigrants and people seeking asylum.

The Haitian Bridge Alliance also known as “The BRIDGE” is a 501(c)(3) grassroots nonprofit community organization that advocates for fair and humane immigration policies and provides migrants and immigrants with humanitarian, legal, and social services, with a particular focus on Black people, the Haitian community, women and girls, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and survivors of torture and other human rights abuses.

The American Immigration Council works to strengthen America by shaping how America thinks about and acts towards immigrants and immigration and by working toward a more fair and just immigration system that opens its doors to those in need of protection and unleashes the energy and skills that immigrants bring. The Council brings together problem solvers and employs four coordinated approaches to advance change—litigation, research, legislative and administrative advocacy, and communications. In January 2022, the Council and New American Economy merged to combine a broad suite of advocacy tools to better expand and protect the rights of immigrants, more fully ensure immigrants’ ability to succeed economically, and help make the communities they settle in more welcoming. Follow the latest Council news and information on ImmigrationImpact.com and Twitter @immcouncil.

The Center for Gender & Refugee Studies defends the human rights of courageous refugees seeking asylum in the United States. With strategic focus and unparalleled legal expertise, CGRS champions the most challenging cases, fights for due process, and promotes policies that deliver safety and justice for refugees.

The Center for Constitutional Rights works with communities under threat to fight for justice and liberation through litigation, advocacy, and strategic communications. Since 1966, the Center for Constitutional Rights has taken on oppressive systems of power, including structural racism, gender oppression, economic inequity, and governmental overreach. Learn more at ccrjustice.org. Follow the Center for Constitutional Rights on social media: Center for Constitutional Rights on Facebook, @theCCR on Twitter, and ccrjustice on Instagram. 

As the first major law firm to develop and implement a pro bono strategic plan, Mayer Brown has long deployed its considerable resources to offer access to the justice system and confront systemic problems around the world where it can have a major impact. To that end, in 2020 the firm launched Project Equity to combat systemic racism and promote racial equity. Visit: https://www.mayerbrown.com.