As an attorney who represents asylum seekers, I believe our country has a moral duty to help those coming to us for protection. I also believe that we as a nation benefit from our asylum system. Aside from enriching our country with patriotic, hard-working individuals, the asylum system makes manifest our highest ideals–freedom of religion and speech, democracy, equality, and women’s and minorities’ rights.
Unfortunately, those of us who support a robust humanitarian immigration system have not convinced enough of our countrymen on that point. Indeed, a poll of Trump voters found that their #2 and #3 most important issues are more secure borders and a more restrictive immigration system (the #1 issue for these voters was preservation of individual rights). Contrast that with Biden voters, who feel less strongly about reducing barriers to migration (ranking “being open to immigration” as the #27 most important issue facing our country, out of 55 issues surveyed).
There is little doubt that these views find expression in the voting booth–President Trump based his 2016 campaign on anti-immigration themes and we know how that turned out. (more…)
There’s never a lack of bad news to report in asylum world, but it’s almost the New Year, and so I’d rather focus on the positive. A year ago, I wasn’t sure whether President Trump would even leave office, but–fortunately for our democracy–he did. At the time, immigrant advocates were hopeful that President Biden would reverse many of the bad policies enacted by his predecessor. While change has been slower and less consistent than expected, there are certainly positive developments to report.
Most obvious is the general attitude towards asylum seekers. During the Trump Administration, officials from the top down viewed asylum seekers as fraudsters and criminals who were intent on cheating the system. While many of the lower-level appointees from the Trump Administration remain, the overall attitude towards asylum seekers is certainly more balanced and respectful. The tone from the President and his leadership team is also more positive. And that makes a difference “in the trenches,” where decisionmakers are more willing to grant relief when they don’t feel that such a decision goes against their bosses’ preference. (more…)
This post is by Amy Doring, the Asylee Outreach Specialist at HIAS Headquarters in Maryland. The HIAS Asylee Outreach Project can be reached at asyleeoutreach@hias.orgor at (240) 284-3306. Learn more about the initiative on its website, asyleeoutreach.org, and follow @asyleeoutreach on Facebook to attend an upcoming national Asylee Benefits Orientation webinar. If you are an asylee in Maryland, please reach out to the Asylee Outreach Project to access resettlement services. If you are in another state, please visit the For Asylees page of the project’s website to contact a resettlement agency near you.
Asylees are eligible for a variety of refugee benefits and services following their asylum grant. If you’re an asylee or an attorney and this is the first time you’re hearing about asylee benefits—you’re not alone! Fewer than 20% of asylees access resettlement benefits, most often because they are unaware that they are eligible for these benefits, or that they even exist.
Benefits for asylees are funded by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and include, but are not limited to: Cash assistance, medical insurance, employment services, English classes, and job training. It’s important to note that eligibility for these benefits is time sensitive. Free health screenings, which will help satisfy medical requirements for your future Green Card applications, are available only during the first three months after an asylum grant. Eligibility for refugee cash assistance and medical insurance, in turn, ends eight months after the date of an asylum grant. Lastly, the availability of free English classes, job training, case management, and employment support services ends five years after an asylum grant. With these strict timelines, it is immensely important that asylees be connected with resettlement services as soon as possible to take full advantage. Family members who are derivative asylees will also be eligible for these same benefits. (more…)
This week I attended an asylum interview for my Afghan client. He was a high-ranking government worker and a member of a secular political party. His daughters were educated and one of his sons was a diplomat. Because my client worked for the government and educated his daughters, he and his family became targets for the Taliban. They kidnapped and brutally murdered my client’s young son. They kidnapped a second son and held him for over two years, until he was finally freed during a military operation. That son has not been the same mentally or physically since his return. A third son was severely injured in a Taliban suicide bombing. In addition, a Taliban soldier beat up my client’s wife and repeatedly threatened my client and members of his family. During our practice session, my client’s wife sat nearby weeping as her husband recited their family’s story. As of this writing, my client has not been able to contact his adult daughters in Afghanistan, and he fears they could be subject to forced Taliban marriages or worse.
The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan happened more quickly than anyone predicted, but perhaps this result was inevitable. Or perhaps not. As we hear from all the Monday-morning quarterbacks about what should have happened, I notice that the voices of one important group are largely missing–the Afghan people themselves. We heard little or nothing from them when we invaded Afghanistan in 2001, as we shifted strategies and generals over the intervening years and decades, and during the draw-down that has been on-going for I-don’t-know-how-long. Why is it that we seem never to hear from the Afghan people? (more…)
In the world today, there are about 82.4 million people who have been forcibly displaced from their homes. If these people could form their own country, it would be the 20th most populous nation on Earth (about the same size as Germany). Confronted with this problem, the International Olympic Committee created a Refugee Team, which first competed in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. The current Games is the second summer Olympics for the Refugee Team, which consists of 29 athletes, representing 11 countries.
Each of these athletes has overcome tremendous odds. Many have suffered severe trauma. Despite these obstacles, they have excelled in their respective sports and have reached the Olympics. You can learn more about all 29 of these amazing athletes at the IOC website, and below, I’ve selected a few of their biographies to give you a sense of the team. (more…)
We’ll return to our regularly-scheduled content next week, but here, I wanted to share some (mostly) positive reviews I’ve received for my new book, The Asylumist: How to Seek Asylum in the United States and Keep Your Sanity. Proceeds from the book will benefit asylum-related charities, and you can purchase copies here. Without further ado–
Jason Dzubow is a leader in the new due process army and part of the “gold standard” for practicing asylum aficionados. For over ten years, his blog “The Asylumist” has been providing “practice tips” and sage advice for asylum seekers, attorneys, and even Immigration Judges. Now, in his new book, Jason collects “The Asylumist’s Greatest Hits”—his best and most useful blog posts—and updates them to reflect the current state (or dystopia) of the law. Understanding the process is essential for protecting your rights! The Asylumist: How to Seek Asylum in the United States and Keep Your Sanity provides clear, accessible, practical, useful guidance, with a touch of humor, to help you navigate the asylum system. It’s an essential “problem-solving tool” for asylum applicants, attorneys, policy makers, and anyone interested in ensuring that asylum seekers obtain the protection that they need and deserve and in restoring due process and best practices to our now sadly and badly broken, dysfunctional, and intentionally unfair asylum system. Due Process Forever! — Paul Wickham Schmidt, Former Chair, Board of Immigration Appeals, and blogger at ImmigrationCourtside.com
Jason Dzubow is a thoughtful and balanced voice in the often highly charged world of immigration. He cares deeply about the law and the people it impacts, from those seeking refuge to those tasked with administering the processes for delivering both relief and justice. In his new book, The Asylumist: How to Seek Asylum and Keep Your Sanity, he offers pragmatic advice and valuable insights on asylum and many other issues in the immigration arena. — MaryBeth Keller, Former Chief Immigration Judge of the United States
The U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 is finally here. It was unveiled last week by Senator Bob Menendez and Representative Linda Sanchez. The bill is very ambitious in scope, and aims to legalize about 11 million people, including “undocumented” immigrants, Dreamers, and people with Temporary Protected Status.
The odds-makers in the media seem to give the bill little chance of passing through the Senate, which requires at least ten Republicans to join with all the Democrats and Independents in order to overcome a filibuster. Some Senators (notably Lindsey Graham) have signaled a potential willingness to support a smaller bill–maybe one that would legalize Dreamers (also known as beneficiaries of DACA). This dilemma–which proponents of immigration reform have faced for decades–is nothing new: Go big and have more trouble passing a bill, or go small and help fewer people. We will have to see how things go, and certainly immigrant advocates need to be lobbying for a more comprehensive bill.
The bill itself is over 350 pages long and covers many different aspects of immigration. In this post, I will focus on a few points that directly affect asylum seekers. You can find basic summaries of the entire bill at Vox and Wikipedia, and a more comprehensive summary from blogger extraordinaire Greg Siskind. Here, though, we’ll stick to discussing only those provisions that relate most directly to asylum seekers. (more…)
The final step in the asylum journey is U.S. citizenship. When an asylee applies for citizenship, there are some unique issues to be aware of, and we’ll discuss those here.
First, let’s talk about the time frame. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you probably already know that the wait time for an asylum case is unpredictable. Some (lucky few) people file a case and complete it within a few months, but the large majority of asylum applicants wait years for a decision. If you win your asylum case at the Asylum Office or in Immigration Court, you have asylum status, and are eligible to file for your Green Card after one year of physical presence in the U.S. This means that if you leave the United States during this period, you have to wait additional time to apply for the Green Card. For example, if you leave the country for two weeks, you have to wait one year and two weeks from the date you received asylum before you are eligible to apply for a Green Card.
The time frame to process a Green Card is also unpredictable. If you check the USCIS processing times, you will see that wait times range from under one year to over 3½ years. In my practice, most asylees seem to get their Green Cards in one or two years. When an asylee receives a Green Card, the card is back-dated one year. Meaning, if you receive your Green Card on December 1, 2020, the card will indicate that you have been a lawful permanent resident (a Green Card holder) since December 1, 2019. Most people will be eligible to file for citizenship five years after the date listed on the Green Card (so in this example, December 1, 2024). And in fact, you are allowed to mail the citizenship form (the N-400) up to 90 days before the five-year anniversary (in our example, this would be about September 2, 2024). That said, if you leave the United States for significant periods of time, or for any one trip of six months or more, or if you’ve recently moved to a new state, you might have to wait longer than five years to apply for citizenship.
If you apply for asylum now, you should be a U.S. citizen by the time Barron Trump runs for President.
Processing times for the N-400 are also all over the map, but most offices seem to complete their cases between six months and two years after filing. So overall, from filing for asylum to becoming a U.S. citizen, most applicants are looking at a wait time of between eight and 13 years.
Now let’s talk about some of the challenges asylum seekers face on the path to becoming U.S. citizens.
First is the Green Card form, the I-485, itself. The problem here is that this form contains dozens of questions, many of which are quite confusing. Mistakes on this form can lead to issues during the naturalization process. I’ve written previously about some of the pitfalls on the I-485. The problem is compounded by the fact that most principal asylees are not interviewed during the Green Card process, and so a USCIS officer never asks you to clarify or correct your answers on the I-485 (dependent asylees are supposed to all be interviewed during the Green Card process, but this does not always happen). Thus, if you make a mistake on the I-485, or if your answers between the I-589 (the asylum form) and the I-485 are inconsistent, this could cause problems at the naturalization stage, and could even cause USCIS to deny your application for citizenship.
The best way to protect yourself here is to make sure that the I-485, the I-589, and any other forms or visa applications you submitted are consistent–in terms of addresses, jobs, family members, membership in organizations, arrests (including political arrests), lies to the U.S. government (including when you applied for a visa), etc. If there are inconsistencies, you should explain those on the I-485 supplement page or in the cover letter. Also, make sure to keep a copy of all the forms and documents you submit to USCIS, so you will have those when you prepare for naturalization. If you do not have copies of your forms and documents, you can obtain them from the government through a Freedom of Information Act request.
A second challenge is the N-400, the naturalization form. This form also contains dozens of confusing questions, and the answers must be consistent with the answers you gave on your prior applications (forms I-589 and I-485). If not, you should explain the inconsistencies. During the naturalization process, USCIS looks closely at your entire history, and so issues that may have been overlooked during the I-485 process (where most people do not receive an interview) often come to light after the N-400 is filed.
One question that sometimes causes problems on the N-400 is whether you have ever given false or misleading information to the U.S. government. Say, for example, you listed your membership in a church on your I-589, but forgot to list that membership on the I-485. USCIS could–and I have seen this–accuse you of lying on the forms, since there is an inconsistency between the I-589 and the I-485, and you failed to mention this “misrepresentation” in response to the question on form N-400. The best way to avoid a problem is to be sure that all your forms are consistent, but if you do make a mistake, you can explain what happened and hopefully overcome the problem (in my experience, when you explain the inconsistencies, USCIS will generally approve the application).
Another challenge is the naturalization interview. Sometimes, asylees are asked about their asylum case during this interview. Of course, by the time you naturalize, many years may have passed since the events of your asylum case, and so you may not remember all the details. For this reason, it is a good idea to review your asylum case prior to the naturalization interview. Also, if you are asked a question and do not remember the answer, it is better to say that you do not know, rather than to guess and risk making an inconsistent statement. For the most part, officers rarely ask detailed questions about the old asylum case, but they could, and so you should prepare accordingly.
Finally, if the N-400 is approved, you will be scheduled for an oath ceremony and sworn in as a United States citizen. The whole affair is a long and often stressful process, but once the asylum case is approved, there is far less uncertainty and it is mainly a question of navigating the bureaucracy. If you keep copies of all your forms and documents, and you are careful that each application is consistent with prior applications, you should have little trouble moving through the process and–finally–becoming a U.S. citizen.
Next week is the election (in case you haven’t heard) and hopefully soon after, we will have a result. Whether the victor is Joe Biden or Donald Trump, immigration advocates have their work cut out for them.
If Mr. Trump wins a second term, it won’t be because he won the popular vote. It’s clear that more Americans will vote for his opponent (as they did in 2016). However, our system awards electoral votes by state, and states with lower populations–which tend to be more conservative–receive disproportionate representation. Perhaps there is some wisdom to this system, which disfavors change, since change is difficult and divisive, especially for those who already have power. Or maybe we would be better off with a system that is more responsive to the will of a simple majority. I am really not sure. In any event, as the President says, it is what it is.
So in terms of immigration, how would a second term look for President Trump? Since early 2017, the Trump Administration has been using its rule-making authority to restrict immigration in a variety of ways. This effort swung into high gear with the advent of the pandemic, and over the past eight months we’ve seen a barrage of changes, many of which make life more difficult for asylum seekers and immigrants. One thing we have not seen from President Trump is an effort to change the law, even when the Republicans controlled both Houses of Congress (and remember, to change the law, Congress needs to pass a bill and the President has to sign it). Because the law has not changed, President Trump has had to work within the existing law to make regulatory and policy changes. When those changes have gone beyond the bounds of the law, courts have blocked them.
“Please vote as if my life depends on it.”
Assuming President Trump wins re-election and Republicans do not control both chambers of Congress (and it is very doubtful that Republicans will take the House), it is unlikely that we would see any positive immigration reform. Mr. Trump has periodically made noise about helping the Dreamers (people brought to the U.S. as children who do not have lawful permanent status here), and so perhaps we could see some bipartisan legislation to regularize their status. Also, there are some other possible areas of cooperation on immigration (temporary seasonal workers and Christian refugees, for example), but those are quite limited.
More likely, if Mr. Trump is granted a second term, we will see more of what we saw during the first term: Travel bans, reduction of due process protections, a weaponized bureaucracy designed to make it more difficult and expensive to obtain legal status in the U.S., regulatory changes that restrict eligibility for asylum and immigration, increased enforcement by ICE, punitive strategies to deter and harm asylum seekers at the border, etc. During the President’s first term, some (but not all) of his worst attacks were mitigated by the courts–mostly the lower courts, as the Supreme Court was more deferential to the President’s authority. Now, with the confirmation of a new conservative Justice on the Supreme Court, a second Trump Administration may be even less constrained in how it (mis)treats immigrants. All this will make it more difficult for non-citizens to receive the due process and the immigration benefits to which they are entitled under law, and the protection that many need to simply survive.
Finally, and it is no small matter, if Mr. Trump is returned to office, we can expect more lies about who immigrants and asylum seekers are, and about what they do when they get here. Demonizing non-citizens, minorities, and Muslims is an essential part of President Trump’s strategy and very unfortunately, his narrative has resonated with a significant portion of the electorate. Aside from fighting the Trump Administration’s policies in court, we also have to work to undermine the false narrative that he has been pushing.
In short, I expect that if President Trump is re-elected, we will see most of his restrictive policy changes pass judicial muster and his hateful and false rhetoric continue. All this will make for a difficult and painful situation for non-citizens and many others in our country.
If Joe Biden is elected, there is little doubt that the fate of asylum seekers and immigrants will be better: We can expect an end to the attacks on due process and rule of law, and to the bombardment of lies that we have come to expect about non-citizens. Mr. Biden has promised a number of positive changes, not least of which is to roll back many of President Trump’s abusive policies. Nevertheless, even under a Biden Administration, there will be much work to do.
For one thing, while Democrats will likely hold the House, it is quite likely that they will not control the Senate, meaning that any new legislation will have to be bipartisan. On its face, this should be a good thing–the broader the consensus on a new law, the better. However, if a Republican Senate behaves as it did during the Obama Administration, we can look forward to prolonged gridlock on immigration reform (and everything else). Even in a Democratic Senate, it may not be easy to pass comprehensive immigration reform, which has eluded us for decades. Advocates will have to push for legislation with our representatives and with the public.
In addition, it’s clear that more work needs to be done to educate the public about asylum seekers and immigrants. Though advocacy groups do significant outreach, the message hasn’t landed with many people. Advocates need to think more about how to communicate effectively with those who oppose immigration–how to reach them and how to engage with them.
For me, the choice on November 3rd is obvious. Joe Biden isn’t perfect, but he will restore due process and the rule of law to our immigration system. He will also be more honest about asylum seekers and immigrants. In addition, if he charts a moderate and common-sense course on immigration (and other issues), he might help diffuse some of the divisiveness that has grown to dangerous levels in our country. I hope that Mr. Biden is successful and that we see Democrats in charge of both Houses of Congress. But win or lose, immigration advocates will have work to do.
What do you think would happen if a client came to my office (virtually), hired me, paid me money to file a case, and then I did not file the case and refused to return the client’s money? Here’s what I think would happen–the client would sue me to get the money back, and I might be dis-barred. Also, I could go to jail.
So what happens when a person hires USCIS to adjudicate an application for a work permit or a Green Card, pays money to the agency, USCIS determines that the person qualifies for the benefit, but then refuses to issue the document? Apparently, nothing happens. The agency keeps the money and the applicant is SOL. That is exactly what we are seeing these days for people approved for an Employment Authorization Document (“EAD”) or a Green Card.
According to a recent article in the Washington Post, “In mid-June, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ contract ended with the company that had been printing [Green Cards and EADs].” “Production was slated to be insourced, but the agency’s financial situation… prompted a hiring freeze that required it to ratchet down printing.” As of early July, about “50,000 green cards and 75,000 other employment authorization documents promised to immigrants haven’t been printed.” These are documents that the applicants paid for and qualified for, and which they need to live and work in the United States.
You may be be surprised to learn that the Trump Administration won’t always give you what you pay for.
The Administration is blaming the problem on the pandemic, which it says has impacted USCIS’s budget. But that is not the whole story. Like many agencies under President Trump, mismanagement and hostility towards the agency’s mission have resulted in budget woes that long precede the coronavirus. According to an article by the Migration Policy Institute, USCIS essentially made a profit from fee receipts every year between FY2008 and FY2018 (data was not available for prior years). But starting in FY2019 (which began on October 1, 2018–well before the pandemic), the agency started running a deficit. The basic reasons are “falling petition rates… and increased spending on vetting and enforcement.” As MPI notes–
Alongside declines in petitions, USCIS has increased spending on detecting immigration-benefit fraud and on vetting applications. Anti-fraud costs more than doubled from FY2016 to FY2020, rising from $177 million to $379 million. Vetting nearly tripled during that period, from $53 million to $149 million. In addition, enhanced vetting appears to be decreasing productivity. USCIS adjudicated 63 percent of its pending and incoming caseload in FY2016. The adjudication rate dropped to 56 percent in FY2019. Over that same period, despite falling application rates, the backlog of pending petitions grew by 1.4 million, to 5.7 million. As a result, processing times for most types of petitions have increased, with some more than doubling.
According to the Washington Post, it’s not likely that USCIS’s budget will recover any time soon–
Presidential executive orders have almost entirely ended issuance of green cards and work-based visas for people applying from outside the country; red tape and bureaucracy have slowed the process for those applying from within U.S. borders. For a while, the agency refused to forward files from one office to another The centers that collect necessary biometric data remain shuttered. These pipeline delays are likely to dramatically reduce the number of green cards ultimately approved and issued this year.
Many employees at USCIS have already received furlough notices, and unless Congress steps in with a $1.2 billion fix, approximately two-thirds of the agency’s employees will be out of work by early next month. And as we’ve seen, the agency’s budget shortfall is already having an effect–more than 125,000 people have not received Green Cards or EADs, even though they paid for, and qualified for those documents (a few documents are still being produced–one of our clients received an EAD last week).
If you are waiting for a Green Card or an EAD, what can you do?
First, for anyone with a delayed card (where the card has already been approved), apparently the USCIS Ombudsman is trying to assist. If you are waiting for an approved Green Card or EAD, the first thing to do is place an online request for case assistance with the Ombudsman. You can do that here. The Ombudsman is “sending weekly spreadsheets to USCIS to verify card requests are in line to be processed.”
For people who have been granted asylum, you are eligible to work even without an EAD (using your asylum approval document or I-94, your Social Security card, and a photo ID).
If you are waiting to receive an approved Green Card, you might try calling USCIS at 800-375-5283 to request an appointment at the local field office. Field offices can place an “I-551” stamp (also called an “ADIT” stamp) in your passport, and this indicates that you are a lawful permanent resident (a Green Card holder). Due to the pandemic, USCIS offices are closed for most in-person appointments, but if you have an “urgent need” for the I-551 stamp, you may be able to obtain an appointment. An example of an urgent need might be that you will lose your job unless you have proof of status. Maybe get a letter from your employer explaining the need, so you will have that when you try to make an appointment, and when you go to the USCIS field office.
If you have a pending asylum case and are waiting to receive an approved EAD, you might also try calling USCIS. You can ask the agency to expedite the card. However, it seems unlikely that they can do so–one USCIS employee states, “Our volume of inquiries [has] spiked concerning cases being approved, but the cards [are] not being produced… A lot [of the inquiries] are expedite requests, and we can’t do anything about it; it’s costing people jobs and undue stress.” Nevertheless, since some EADs are still being issued, perhaps a call is worth a try.
Finally, you might contact your representatives in Congress (in the House and Senate). Ask them to fund USCIS, and remind them that “Congress… must also exercise its constitutional oversight authority to create and boost meaningful accountability, transparency, and productivity within USCIS.” If Congress does not get involved, USCIS will largely shut down in a few weeks. But USCIS does not deserve a blank check. Congress should ensure that the agency uses the money to fulfill its core mission, and that it gives people what they paid for.
For years, advocates for asylum seekers have been discussing the degradation of our nation’s immigration system: Due process protections have been eroded (or eliminated), non-violent aliens have been detained (sometimes for years), and asylum applicants and other immigrants have been subject to humiliating and cruel treatment. Why should this be so? Our immigration laws and our Constitution are far from perfect, but they provide certain rights to non-citizens, including the right to due process of law, the right not to be denied immigration benefits for reasons that are arbitrary and capricious, and the right to humanitarian protection for those who qualify. Unfortunately, the government often fails to fulfill its obligations (repeat: obligations) under the law, and as a result, immigrants are being denied their rights–including their right to life-saving humanitarian protection.
Immigrants, of course, are not the only people whose legal rights have been violated by the government. The pattern of mistreating and disenfranchising minority groups goes back to the founding of our country (and before). In many cases, discrimination has been sanctioned by law–against African Americans, Native Americans, Chinese Americans, and women, to name the most obvious groups. Slowly, painfully, over time, laws have changed. The law now provides for much greater equality than it did at the founding of our Republic, and in practice, the situation has improved. But as we know, there is much more work to be done.
Trump: “I am your law and order President. I make the law and you follow my orders!” Bible: “Owww! Stop touching me – it burns!”
The Black Lives Matter movement is a part of that work. All Americans should listen to what BLM has to say. Even those who disagree or who think they know better should listen to the lived experience of people who feel threatened by our government. No Americans should have to feel this way. Something clearly needs to change. But why should immigrants and asylum seekers care?
For one thing, many immigrants are people of color, and so the issues BLM is addressing should be of concern to non-citizens, who might one day face similar problems themselves.
Also, when the government mistreats one minority group, no minority group is truly safe. If the government has the power and the willingness to take away rights for one of us, it can take away the rights of any of us. Indeed, the whole idea of “rights” is that they are inviolable; the government cannot take them away unless we are afforded due process of law. When a government agent kills an unarmed Black man without justification or when it deports an asylum seeker without due process of law, it is violating those people’s sacrosanct rights. It stands to reason then, that if we wish to support the rights of one person, we must support the rights of all.
The above arguments are based on self interest (I will help you because it helps me). But there is another reason for immigrants to support the BLM movement–it is the right thing to do. The asylum seekers and immigrants that I have known tend to be very patriotic people. They believe in the American ideal. That is why they came here in the first place. Part of that ideal is that we are all equal in the eyes of the law. No group should face harm or discrimination due to their race or ethnicity or religion or sexual orientation. It is un-American. And it is wrong. As citizens (or would-be citizens), it is incumbent upon each of us to help our nation move towards a more perfect union.
So what can be done to help?
Education: Learn about BLM’s goals and methods from leaders of the movement, rather than from secondary sources. Good starting points are the Black Lives Matter and Movement for Black Lives websites. There are also many movies, documentaries, and books that are worth checking out.
Protest: The ongoing protests are important, and will hopefully drive legislative and policy changes. Non-citizens can attend protests, and have a right to Freedom of Speech, the same as U.S. citizens. However, you should be aware that ICE agents have been deployed in response to protests and civil unrest. While these agents are (supposedly) not tasked with immigration enforcement, that is their raison d’etre, and so if you go to a protest, make sure to have evidence about your immigration status (such as a green card, work permit, I-94, filing receipt, etc.). If you have no status, make sure to have a plan in place in case you are detained (every non-citizen without status should have such a plan, whether or not they attend a protest).
Elections: As President Obama recently said, we have to mobilize to raise awareness and we have to vote for candidates who will enact reform. Non-citizens cannot vote. Indeed, such people can be deported for voting. So if you are not a U.S. citizen, please don’t try to vote. But this does not mean that you cannot participate in the upcoming elections. There is a lot you can do: Voter registration, canvasing, text-banking, phone-banking, etc. All this is important, as the outcome of the election will have life and death consequences for many people.
Contact Your Representatives: There is currently a bill pending in the House to condemn police brutality and racial profiling. The bill makes some good suggestions, including that the Justice Department should take a more active role investigating instances of police violence and discrimination, and for the creation of civilian review boards to provide community-based oversight of local police departments. Review the bill, and if you are so moved, contact your Congressional representatives and let them know. There is another bill pending in the Senate that aims to prevent discrimination by police and provide additional training. You can contact your Senators about this bill. Also, you can take action at the state and local level to push for reform.
Donate: For many of us, money is tight these days, but if you are able to make a donation, there are many worthy civil rights organizations that could use the support.
One last point, and I think this is important, as I often hear objections about BLM in the media and in conversation: It is not necessary to support every aspect of a movement in order to support that movement. I personally do not support all the goals of the Black Lives Matter movement. I do not support all their tactics, and I do not support all their rhetoric. This does not mean that I do not support the movement. I strongly believe that our country should focus far less on incarceration and far more on providing opportunities for all people to live safe, healthy, and productive lives. I also strongly believe that our country has not properly reconciled with its past and ongoing sins against African Americans and other racial minorities. Most of all, I believe that our nation has an obligation to listen to marginalized people and to respond to their needs. Thus, even if you do not believe in all aspects of BLM, I do not think that absolves you from listening to members of that movement and of working for a better society. All of us have an obligation to help bend the arc of history towards Justice. The Black Lives Matter movement is doing just that, and its success is our nation’s success.
I first met David (not his real name) in 2012. He had come to the United States from a Middle Eastern country and decided to seek asylum here. At the time, many democracy activists from his country were fleeing a government crackdown. One of David’s family members—a prominent member of the pro-democracy movement—referred him to me. David is a member of a religious minority, and he is a Biomedical Engineer by training. In his home country, he and his family members faced some pretty harrowing instances of persecution on account of their religion and their democratic leanings.
Fortunately, David’s asylum case was granted. He later became a lawful permanent resident, and he is currently in the process of becoming a U.S. citizen.
Police officers pay tribute to David and other hospital workers.
In the mean time, he obtained his equivalency degree, which allows him to work in his field in the United States (this is a somewhat obnoxious process, whereby a private agency certifies that a foreign degree “is equivalent to” a degree from an institution in the U.S.). He got a job as a Biomedical Engineer at a large hospital in the United States, and was promoted several times over the course of a few years.
When the pandemic started, David was tapped to lead a medical equipment project at the hospital’s command center, and to build up a new department to deal with the crisis. He and his team are working around the clock to receive, assemble, build, inspect, and install equipment such as ventilators, IV pumps, bed side monitors, servers, and more.
Fueled by obscene amounts of espresso, in one week, David and his team installed and uploaded drug libraries for 1000 IV pumps and installed 600 IV poles. They also installed and inspected more than 200 ventilators and 200 ICU beds. In addition, to get ready for COVID-19 patients, they prepared and installed medical equipment–such as central bedside monitors, ICU beds, nurse call devices, and ventilators–for three new departments at the hospital. All this while working in an environment where the coronavirus is a ubiquitous threat.
Medical equipment prepared by David and his team.
I asked David how he feels about all that he has accomplished since the pandemic began, and despite the difficult circumstances, he uses words like “great” and “awesome” because, he says, he is not just doing a job, he is really helping to save lives. Also, he is proud that even though he has only been at the hospital for a few years, he is responsible for critical parts of the mission and for training a team that is working through the pandemic.
David’s work is incredibly impressive. He is helping to save many lives. But the fact is, he is not all that unique. According to a 2019 study in Health Affairs, 1 in 4 healthcare workers in the United States is foreign-born. It’s ironic that at a time when immigrants and asylum seekers are under assault by the federal government, they are playing such an outsize role in our fight against the coronavirus. I only hope that more Americans will come to appreciate how people like David are selflessly working to protect Americans from the deadly pandemic.
Espresso kept the team going.
One final point, and I think this speaks to David’s character and his bravery during this difficult time. I remember when we were preparing his asylum case, I asked him about whether he faced any harm in his country. He mentioned a few incidents and could not think of anything more. Then, his relative asked, “Didn’t the extremists shoot you?” Yes, he responded, they did try to shoot him, but the bullet passed over his shoulder and hit a wall behind him. Since they missed, David hadn’t really paid much attention to the incident. I imagine that this type of grace under fire (literally) is serving him well in his current role.
If you would like to support David in his life-saving work, consider making a donation to Direct Relief, a national non-profit that has been helping to get protective gear and critical care medications to as many health workers as possible.
When the President issues an executive order, he first enlists experts to review the data and determine the exact nature of the problem. He then commissions a study to examine possible solutions and look at the pros and cons of each option. He carefully considers the law and takes into account dissenting points of view. His staff then crafts an order to achieve the desired ends, while avoiding as many negative externalities as possible.
I’m joking of course.
In the case of the new Executive Order, President Trump issued a late-night Tweet. Then, his staff, caught by surprise, scrambled to implement their boss’s vision and voila! An Executive Order was born.
America: Banning immigrants since 1882 (hows that working out for you?).
The new EO, issued yesterday evening, is based not on the Trumpian trope that immigrants bring disease. Rather, the order is justified based on the current economic crisis. Indeed, the title of the EO is Proclamation Suspending Entry of Immigrants Who Present Risk to the U.S. Labor Market During the Economic Recovery Following the COVID-19 Outbreak. This was probably a wise move, as we are now the epicenter of the pandemic, and so it would be difficult to justify keeping people out of our country due to health concerns. The economic justification, on the other hand, will be easier to defend (recall that under the Administrative Procedures Act, courts can block a regulation that is “arbitrary and capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with the law”). While there is ample evidence that immigrants start more businesses than native born Americans and that 51% of start-ups worth $1 billion or more were founded by foreign-born entrepreneurs, there is some (less convincing) evidence that immigration depresses wages for certain groups, such as blue collar workers. But given the low threshold of the Administrative Procedures Act, this is probably enough of a justification for the EO to pass muster, particularly in the Supreme Court, which has been very deferential to the President’s authority vis-a-vis immigration.
So let’s talk about what the EO does and–more importantly–what it does not do.
First, who is blocked from obtaining a Green Card? As far as I can tell, the only people blocked from obtaining a Green Card are those who are currently overseas and who currently do not have a U.S. visa or other travel document. Essentially, this means that U.S. Embassies will stop issuing new travel documents for immigrants to come to the United States. For immigrants who already have their visa or travel document, they can still come to the U.S. Also, spouses and unmarried, under-21 year old children of U.S. citizens are excepted from the ban and can still immigrate to the United States. Other relatives, such as parents, siblings, and older children of citizens are blocked. Also blocked are family members of Green Card holders and most people seeking residency through employment. However, the ban does not apply to medical professionals and their immediate family members, EB-5 investors, adoptees, spouses and children of members of the military, aliens entering on a Special Immigrant Visa, and aliens whose admission is in the national interest or who are assisting a law enforcement investigation. In short, this is a fairly narrowly-tailored suspension of immigration, though for those people who are blocked, it will be difficult.
Second, how long does the “suspension” last? The EO indicates that it will remain in effect for 60 days. After that, depending on economic conditions, it could be extended.
Third, it is important to understand who is not affected by the EO. People seeking non-immigrant visas are not affected. Permanent residents (i.e., people who already have a Green Card) are not affected, whether they are currently in the U.S. or overseas. No one who is currently inside the United States is affected by the EO. This includes permanent residents, asylum seekers, asylees, refugees, and people applying for immigration benefits (inside the U.S.), such as a Green Card or asylum (one exception here might be people who wish to leave the U.S. and return using a provisional waiver). Also, the EO has no effect on Employment Authorization Documents (“EAD”) or on the right to seek humanitarian protection. Indeed, the EO specifically states–
Nothing in this proclamation shall be construed to limit the ability of an individual to seek asylum, refugee status, withholding of removal, or protection under the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, consistent with the laws of the United States.
Fourth, there are still parts of the EO that are not clear. One important question is whether I-730 beneficiaries are subject to the ban. Based on the above language, my sense is that they will not be affected, but I am not sure. Also, I am not sure about K-1 fiances, but since the K-1 is technically a non-immigrant visa, I expect that fiance-beneficiaries will not be affected. Finally, the biggest question is whether the ban will end in 60 days, or whether it will be extended if–as seems likely–the economic crisis persists. A 60-day suspension of immigrant visas will be manageable for most effected people. However, if the ban is extended, the harm to families and business will increase significantly.
Given that embassies are already mostly closed, numerous travel restrictions are already in place, and many flights are canceled, I’d venture that the new EO will have very little real-world impact. What then is the point?
On its face, the EO is meant to protect American workers from foreign-born competitors, but given all the exceptions to the ban, I doubt the order will result in a significant drop in immigration (beyond what we’ve already seen as a result of the world-wide shutdown). Thus, even if you buy into the proposition that immigrant labor has a negative impact on the job prospects for U.S. citizens, I do not see how the EO will protect many American workers.
If all this is correct, then the only remaining purpose of the EO is to frighten non-citizens and to delight nativists. Unfortunately, I suspect it will accomplish both of those goals. But to my immigrant friends, it is important to understand that for all its sound and fury, the Trump Administration has achieved little with this new Executive Order. Perhaps that fact can provide some level of comfort in these dark times.
Have an asylum case in Immigration Court and wondering what to do while the courts are closed? My friend David L. Cleveland has a suggestion: Get a copy of your file from the Asylum Office. David is a lawyer in Washington, DC. He has secured asylum or withholding for people from 48 countries. He can be reached at 1949.david@gmail.com.
In most cases, when an asylum applicant has their case denied at the Asylum Office, the case is referred to Immigration Court. There, Immigration Judges sometimes deny asylum because the applicant is deemed incredible. The applicant has told the Asylum Officer one thing, but then tells the Judge something different. There are many examples of Judges being annoyed by inconsistent asylum applicants–
In a New York case, the applicant was inconsistent concerning the location of children and where she was raped. Kalala v. Barr, 2020 U.S. App. LEXIS 8320 (2nd Cir. 2020).
in a California case, the applicant was inconsistent concerning the name of a police station. In this case, the Asylum Officer’s notes were shown to applicant for the first time during the Individual Hearing. Sun v. Barr, 2020 U.S. App. LEXIS 5397 (9th Cir. 2020).
In an Ohio case, the applicant testified to being beaten inside a church. When she asked about how many members of the church were present at the time, she first said 15. Later, she testified that six church members were present. Onoori v. Barr, 2019 U.S. App. LEXIS 21310 (6th Cir. 2019).
Now that he has a copy of his client’s file, David Cleveland is finally able to relax.
More generally, Immigration Judges are very interested in what Asylum Officers do and write. In a case decided in 2019, the phrase “Asylum Officer” is used 32 times. Qiu v. Barr, 944 F.3d 837 (9th Cir. 2019). In a 2018 case, the phrase “Asylum Officer” is mentioned 57 times, and “notes” (referring to the Officer’s notes from the asylum interview) was mentioned several times. Dai v. Sessions, 884 F.3d 858 (9th Cir. 2018). In another case, from 2014, an Asylum Officer named “Kuriakose” is mentioned 15 times. Li v. Holder, 745 F.3d 336 (8th Cir. 2014).
In these cases, asylum applicant’s were deemed not credible because their Court testimony was inconsistent with their testimony at the Asylum Office. Most likely, the applicants did not have a record of what they told the Asylum Officer, and of course, since years pass between an asylum interview and an Individual Hearing, it is difficult to remember what transpired at the Asylum Office.
How can I prevent surprise in Immigration Court?
When an Asylum Officer interviews an applicant, the Officer takes detailed notes. Often, these run to 10 pages or more. Later, in consultation with his supervisor, the Officer writes an “Assessment to Refer” or an “Assessment to Grant.” This document is usually three or four pages long. If the case is referred to Court, these notes do not go to the Immigration Judge. However, they are sent to the DHS attorney (the prosecutor), who can review them and look for inconsistencies. At the Individual Hearing, the DHS attorney can use the notes to impeach an applicant’s credibility (“At the asylum interview, you testified that there were 15 people present in the church when you were beaten, but now you say there were only six. Were you lying then, or are you lying now?”).
Asylum Officers sometimes make mistakes or include unexpected information in their notes. They find some sources of information important and ignore other sources. In short, there is a subjective element to these notes that can sometimes work against the applicant and cause surprises in Immigration Court. And, as any attorney will tell you, surprises in Court are usually bad news.
To avoid a surprise in Court, and to find out what the officer wrote, the advocate should make a Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) request for the notes and the Assessment. Asylum Officer notes are easily available via FOIA. To obtain this information, type your request on a single piece of paper: “Give me the notes and assessment of the asylum officer.” State your name, date of birth, place of birth, address, Alien number, and sign under penalty of perjury. You do not need a lawyer; you do not need Form G-639, although you are allowed to use that form. Send your request via email to: uscis.foia@uscis.dhs.gov
In January 2020, I received the entire Asylum Officer assessment for an asylum applicant from Congo. The client and I are now more relaxed and confident about the case. We will not be surprised in Immigration Court. You can read this assessment at the FOIA page of the Louise Trauma Center. A model FOIA request can also be found at the same page.
There’s a long tradition in the U.S. (and around the world) of blaming minorities for natural disasters. Conveniently, the people targeted for this type of scapegoating are usually powerless, and are often already despised by the people doing the blaming. The present pandemic is no exception. A clergyman who teaches Bible classes at the White House recently posted a piece, asking in response to the coronavirus, Is G-d Judging America Today? The predictable answer is yes, and the predictable reason is related to “sins” such as “environmentalism” (gasp!) and “homosexuality” (double gasp!).
But how do we know which sins result in divine punishment? And what communal penalty is appropriate for a particular sin? Was 9-11 heavenly retribution for abortion (per Jerry Falwell)? Did Hurricane Katrina devastate New Orleans in retaliation for that city’s support of a gay pride parade (John Hagee)? And was Hurricane Harvey sent to drown Houston because it elected a lesbian mayor (Kevin Swanson)?
I’m not normally a fan of attributing natural disasters to human sins, but since it’s Passover–a holiday where we remember ten plagues visited upon the Egyptians for enslaving Jews–I thought I might give the whole “divine retribution” thing a try.
A group of Bible scholars protests the government’s treatment of asylum seekers.
And now that I think about it, the idea that G-d is punishing us with a virus doesn’t seem all that far fetched. After all, the Egyptians suffered boils, so there is obviously precedent for sending a disease to smite wrongdoers. But which sin would trigger a coronavirus pandemic? Certainly not the “sin” of homosexuality. That causes hurricanes. Obviously.
When you look at what’s happening in our country and the world, it seems pretty clear which sin is responsible for our current troubles–the sin of xenophobia. What’s that you say? You object? You say that xenophobia is not a sin? Let’s take a look at our handy Bible to learn more–
Exodus 12:49 – There shall be one law for the citizen and for the stranger who dwells among you.
Exodus 22:20 – You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
Leviticus 19:33-34 – When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not wrong him. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
Numbers 15:14-16 – There shall be one law for you and for the resident stranger; it shall be a law for all time throughout the ages. You and the stranger shall be alike before the Lord; the same ritual and the same rule shall apply to you and to the stranger who resides among you.
Deuteronomy 27:19 – Cursed be he who subverts the rights of the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow.
Etc., etc., etc. You get the idea. We are commanded–repeatedly–to treat the stranger as we treat the citizen. Those who mistreat the stranger will be cursed. So the Biblical foundation for our current troubles is clear.
But as our President loves to point out, the coronavirus began in China. Are they guilty of xenophobia? Indeed. Not long after Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, the Chinese government started implementing a series of increasingly restrictive measures against the Uyghur ethnic minority. These include forcing as many as one million men, women, and children into “re-education” camps in order to change their political and religious thinking to be more aligned with Communist Party ideology. To students of the Passover story, the persecution of the Uyghurs sounds eerily familiar–
Exodus 1:8-10 – A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph [a leader among the Israelites]. And [the king] said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are much too numerous for us. Let us deal shrewdly with them, so that they may not increase; otherwise in the event of war they may join our enemies in fighting against us and rise from the ground.”
And so the pharaoh enslaved the Jews. The rest, as they say, is history.
What about the United States? We are now the epicenter of the disease. Why are we being subject to G-d’s wrath? The obvious answer is that we have failed to treat citizens and strangers in a like manner. We have wronged the strangers who live among us. How?
Even before President Trump came to power, our country treated non-citizens and citizens differently. There are good reasons for doing so, of course: National security, preserving the welfare state, assimilating new arrivals in an orderly way. But some of the differences seemed less-well grounded in sound public policy: Mass immigration raids, private prisons, limited due process. Since President Trump’s ascension, though, our immigration policies have been driven by lies and xenophobia: Separation of children from parents, dramatically reduced protections for certain asylum seekers (particularly women fleeing domestic violence), the Muslim ban, the virtual elimination of due process at the Southern border, the draconian and nonsensical public charge rule, expansion of expedited removal, and on and on. We’ve also been subject to plenty of lies about non-citizens: Asylum seekers are rapists, criminals, and fraudsters, refugees burden our economy, Mexico will pay for the wall. Not to mention the coddling of white supremacists in Charlottesville and elsewhere. All this has resulted in a terrifying and inhospitable environment for non-citizens in the U.S. today.
Thus, it’s painfully obvious that we as a nation are failing to love the stranger as we love ourselves (Leviticus 19:34), that we are wronging and oppressing the stranger (Exodus 22:20), and that we have different laws for the stranger and the citizen (Numbers 15:14). Given all this, it’s not surprising that we have been cursed (Deuteronomy 27:19). The coronavirus is the manifestation of this curse; it is divine wrath for our sin of xenophobia. I suggest we put on sack cloth and self-quarantine for two weeks to repent.
Of course, I don’t really believe that the pandemic is divine retribution for the sin of xenophobia (or for any other sin). However, it’s hard to escape the conclusion that our mistreatment of “the other” is making things worse. Why do certain Immigration Courts remain open, forcing non-citizens and everyone involved in the system to risk their health? Why are we continuing to detain asylum seekers in unsafe conditions, even those who do not pose a danger to the community? Why do we deny economic relief to some immigrants (health care workers, agricultural workers, service industry employees) who are on the front line of the fight against the disease and who are working to keep the rest of us safe and fed?
As I see it, there is great wisdom in the words of the Bible, which make clear that we are all in this together. We will succeed or fail against the disease not as citizens and strangers, but as people, united in our common effort. The coronavirus does not discriminate based on nationality or race. Neither should we.
