Humanitarian Protection

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An Overview of U.S. Refugee Law and Policy

Before admission to the United States, each refugee must undergo an extensive interviewing, screening, and security clearance process. They go on to contribute to our communities and our economy.

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All Humanitarian Protection Content

  • Blog

Court Protects Some TPS Holders’ Right to Apply for Green Cards

November 10, 2020

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit ruled that certain people with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) can apply for green cards without leaving the United States. In Velazquez v. Barr, the...

  • Blog

The Government Wants Immigrants to Show Up for Court—But Neglects to Tell Them How to Attend Their Hearings

October 29, 2020

Over 60,000 people at the southern border have been forced to return to Mexico under the Trump administration’s Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), also known as the “Remain in Mexico” program. As...

  • Blog

Border Patrol is Going After Humanitarian Aid in the Arizona Desert—Again

October 15, 2020

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) launched another military-style raid on a humanitarian aid station in the Arizona desert, close to the U.S.-Mexico border. On October 5, Border Patrol...

  • Blog

Department of Justice Eliminates Diversity and Inclusion Training for All Immigration Judges

October 13, 2020

At a time when tensions over race in the United States are high, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced in an October 8 memo that it will cancel all diversity and inclusion trainings for...

  • Blog

USCIS is Preventing Asylum Seekers from Bringing Their Own Interpreters to Interviews

September 29, 2020

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has implemented a new temporary rule preventing affirmative asylum seekers—who request asylum while already physically present in the United...

  • Blog

Proposed 15-Day Filing Rule for Asylum Seekers Is Designed to Be Impossible

September 24, 2020

The Trump administration has spent most of the year trying to destroy asylum law—and the blows keep coming. On Sept. 23, the Department of Justice proposed yet another regulation aimed at certain...

  • Blog

Ninth Circuit Court Allows Trump’s Plan to End Temporary Protected Status to Go Forward

September 14, 2020

In a split decision, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Trump administration’s termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for four countries can proceed. The fate of nearly 250...

  • Blog

Judge Says “Poppycock!” to Trump Program That Let Border Patrol Screen Asylum Applicants

September 1, 2020

A federal court on Monday halted a secretive program started under the Trump administration that allowed Border Patrol agents to be harsh gatekeepers to the asylum process. The court rejected the...

  • Blog

Cuccinelli and Wolf Were Found Ineligible to Serve at DHS. What Happens Next?

August 20, 2020

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) top two officials are under scrutiny once again after a congressional oversight office found they were unlawfully appointed to their positions. The...

  • Blog

Asylum Seekers Face a Dangerous Journey—and United States Interference

August 19, 2020

For many people planning to seek asylum in the United States, enforcement starts in Panama, over 3,000 miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border. U.S. immigration agencies collaborate with Panama’s...

  • Press Release

Lawsuit Challenges Government’s Interference with Legal Representation of Mothers and Children Detained in Dilley, Texas

June 2, 2017
Access to legal counsel is a core American value and is the cornerstone of our justice system. Yet, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has severely limited access to legal assistance for asylum-seeking women and children held in family detention facilities.
  • Press Release

Statement on Executive Order on Refugees and Muslim Admissions

January 27, 2017
These actions will isolate America and make us all party to blatant and bigoted religious targeting. These actions also ignore the multi-layered processes the government already uses to screen and vet those seeking entry to the U.S., whether as a refugee, on a tourist visa, or another visa permitting entry.
  • Press Release

Complaint Filed as Customs and Border Protection Turns Away Asylum Seekers

January 17, 2017
A coalition of immigrant and civil rights groups filed a complaint with the Department of Homeland Security’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, last Friday and the Office of Inspector General, on behalf of numerous adult men and women, families and unaccompanied children who, over the past several months, were denied entry to the United States at ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border.
  • Press Release

Federal Court Grants Nationwide Class Status in Suit to Protect Asylum Seekers

January 12, 2017
A federal court in Seattle has granted nationwide class action status to a case seeking to protect the rights of thousands of asylum seekers pursuing protection from persecution in their home countries.
  • Press Release

Developments with Respect to the One-Year Deadline for Filing Asylum Applications

September 20, 2016
Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP), Dobrin & Han, PC, American Immigration Council, and the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild commend the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) for reversing course and now allowing asylum applicants to file their applications by mail or in person at an immigration court window.
  • Press Release

Release of Refugee Families is Long-Overdue Step

July 20, 2016

Washington, DC – The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and the American Immigration Council welcome plans announced by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for the release

  • Press Release

Asylum Seekers File Class Action Lawsuit Against DHS

July 1, 2016
The U.S. Government has placed unnecessary hurdles in front of asylum seekers who are attempting to file asylum applications within the required time period.
  • Press Release

Eight of Twelve Families Targeted by ICE Have Been Released

February 8, 2016

Washington D.C. – After being held in detention for more than a month by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), eight of the families

  • Press Release

CARA: 33 Mothers and Children Protected from Immediate Deportation

January 13, 2016

Washington D.C. – In the last week, 121 mothers and children were brought to the South Texas Residential Family Center in Dilley, Texas, after being rounded up by Immigration and Customs Enf

  • Press Release

After Successfully Delaying the Deportations, Groups Demand Meeting with DHS Sec. Johnson

January 6, 2016

Washington, D.C. - Today, the American Immigration Council and the American Immigration Lawyers Association 

  • Blog

Settlement Deadline in Lawsuit Addressing a One-Year Filing Deadline for Asylum Applications

April 21, 2022

Immigration law requires that asylum seekers file applications for asylum within one year of last entering the United States. Filing after one year can be the sole reason the U.S. government...

  • Blog

The US Response to Ukraine Shows We Have the Capacity for Humanitarian Relief

April 6, 2022

At the beginning of March 2022, as millions of Ukrainians were being displaced by Russian invasion, the U.S. government announced a series of policy changes to assist some of the people impacted...

  • Policy Briefs

Ending Title 42 and Creating an Orderly Asylum System

Publication Date: 
April 6, 2022
The American Immigration Council appeared before Congress to address the effect of Title 42 on border operations and management and to provide recommendations on creating an orderly humanitarian...
  • Press Release

The End of Title 42: A Long-Overdue Step Toward Rebuilding our Asylum System

April 1, 2022
The Biden administration announced today plans to end a border expulsions policy known as Title 42 by May 23. This policy allowed the U.S. government to turn people away at the U.S southern border over 1.7 million times in the past two years under the guise of protecting the country from COVID-19.
  • Blog

Biden’s New Asylum Process: What You Need to Know

March 25, 2022

The Biden administration finalized its long-anticipated plan for overhauling the asylum system on March 24. The regulation, which is set to go into effect on an interim basis in 60 days, was first...

  • Complaints

Council Files Complaint Against ICE for Racial Discrimination and Excessive Use of Force in Colorado Facility

Publication Date: 
March 24, 2022
The American Immigration Council filed a complaint with the Department of Homeland Security's oversight bodies urging an investigation into racial discrimination and excessive use of force at the...
  • Press Release

Asylum Changes from the Biden Administration Will Not Ensure Due Process as Required by U.S. Asylum Law

March 24, 2022
The American Immigration Council and the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) responded to today’s release of an interim final rule related to asylum procedures with concern. The rule is being published in draft form and is slated to take effect in 60 days, however additional public comment is being accepted for 60 days.
  • Blog

Why Are Afghans Facing Significant Delays in Humanitarian Parole and Refugee Processing?

March 17, 2022

The withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in August 2021—as the country’s government was overtaken by the Taliban—led to the chaotic evacuation of thousands of Afghan nationals. The tragic...

  • FOIA

Investigating USCIS’ Implementation of Humanitarian Parole and Refugee Processing for Afghan Nationals

This Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeks to uncover information about how the humanitarian parole process and refugee program is working with respect to Afghan nationals.
  • Fact Sheet

Rising Border Encounters in 2021: An Overview and Analysis

Publication Date: 
March 4, 2022
This Council fact sheet provides an overview and analysis of border encounters and border apprehensions in 2021.

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