Featured Issue: Asylum Under Trump 2.0
On the first day of his second term, President Trump suspended all entries at the U.S. Southern Border for asylum seekers. Since then, the Administration has implemented sweeping restrictions that shut America’s doors to people fleeing persecution. These policies violate federal law, erode constitutionally protected due process, exacerbate the asylum backlog, and give those seeking safety an increasingly narrow path to protection.
Left unchecked by Congress, these policies will have dire consequences for both asylum seekers and the integrity of our legal system. Asylum seekers—especially those without access to counsel—are at grave risk of being returned to harm.
It doesn’t have to be this way. The Administration can maintain order at U.S. borders and effectively manage migration without sacrificing fairness and adherence to the law. With more trained asylum officers, a streamlined legal process, legal representation for asylum seekers, and more effective coordination between relevant agencies, the U.S. can establish a safe, orderly, and humane asylum system.
Browse the Featured Issue: Asylum Under Trump 2.0 collection
CA5 Says BIA Erred in Upholding Withholding of Removal and CAT Denial to Salvadoran Petitioner
The court held that the BIA misapplied prevailing case law, disregarded crucial evidence, and failed to adequately support its decisions in upholding the IJ’s denial of the petitioner’s withholding of removal and Convention Against Torture (CAT) claims. (Argueta-Hernandez v. Garland, 12/5/23)
Congress Should Focus Supplemental Funding Bill on Real Border Solutions
AILA and the Council share a statement urging Congress to focus supplemental funding discussions on solutions that would improve border processing as well as reduce backlogs elsewhere in the immigration system.
BIA Finds Family Membership Incidental to Other Ultimate Goal Is Not One Central Reason for Harm in Asylum Analysis
The BIA held that, for purposes of establishing asylum eligibility, if a persecutor is targeting members of a family as a means of achieving some other goal, family membership is incidental to that goal and not one central reason for the harm. Matter of M–R–M–S–, 28 I&N Dec. 757 (BIA 2023)
AILA Submits Statement to Congress Opposes Proposals Restricting Asylum and Parole in the Supplemental
With federal funding discussions underway on a supplemental budget deal, AILA calls upon lawmakers to reject dangerous immigration proposals that would do grave, irreparable harm to the U.S. asylum system while creating chaos in efforts to manage the border.
Congress Must Not Weaken Asylum System as Part of Budget Negotiations
AILA President Farshad Owji and Executive Director Ben Johnson urge that Senate negotiators reject the severe restrictions on America’s asylum system being entertained in exchange for a supplemental funding deal; the changes would be harmful and ineffective.
Potential Game-Changer Cases for Immigration Law at SCOTUS
AILA Members and litigation experts Brian Green and Stephen Yale-Loehr describe three SCOTUS cases that could have significant implications for the practice of immigration law; the legitimacy of the current U.S. immigration court system could be undermined depending on the rulings.
Policy Brief: The Asylum Credible Fear Standard
Proposed legislation has threatened to further restrict access to asylum. AILA opposes this change. This brief explains the current law governing this part of the asylum process called the credible fear interview.
USCIS Announces that Tampa Asylum Office Moving to New Location
The USCIS Tampa Asylum Office is moving to a new location and the current location will close to the public on November 29, 2023. Mail will be accepted at the new location starting November 29; however, it will not have walk-in hours until December 13, 2023. This move does not affect jurisdiction.
CA1 Upholds Denial of Asylum to Nepali Petitioner Who Was Attacked by Maoist Insurgents
The court held that the Nepali army’s prompt response to the attack on the petitioner and her family in their home reasonably supported the government’s willingness to take action to protect the petitioner from her Maoist persecutors. (Singh v. Garland, 11/27/23)
AILA and the Council Seek Information on the Family Expedited Removal Management (FERM) Program
AILA and the American Immigration Council filed a FOIA request to obtain documents related to ICE and CBP’s implementation of the Family Expedited Removal Management Program (FERM).
Practice Alert: I-730 Processing and Incorrectly Assessed Fees for Afghan Petitions
AILA’s DOS Liaison Committee provides an updated alert concerning consular selection for Afghan immigrant visa cases, acceptance and processing of I-730 petitions out of the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, and incorrectly assessed immigrant visa fees for Afghan immediate relative petitions.
CA4 Grants Panel Rehearing in Ullah v. Garland at Request of Attorney General
At the request of the Attorney General, the court granted the petition for panel rehearing and modified its opinion to the extent that it remanded the case to the Attorney General for further proceedings. (Ullah v. Garland, 10/12/23)
AILA’s VAWA, Us, and Ts Committee Meets with USCIS (11/16/23)
AILA’s VAWA, Us and Ts Committee provides key takeaways, unofficial Q&As and practice pointers, and answers to pre-submitted questions from its engagement with USCIS on November 16, 2023.
CA1 Upholds Asylum Denial to Guatemalan Petitioner of Mam Ethnicity Who Experienced Unfulfilled Threats from Gangs
The court held that the petitioner failed to establish past persecution based on two incidents with gang members in Guatemala City, and found that he did not show a well-founded fear of future persecution on account of his indigenous Mam ethnicity. (Hernandez-Mendez v. Garland, 11/15/23)
Featured Issue: Asylum and Credible Fear Interim Final Rule
A USCIS interim final rule on credible fear and asylum took effect May 31, 2022, and changes the way DHS processes asylum cases for individuals in expedited removal. This is a resource page to help immigration attorneys understand the new process for credible fear and asylum.
Sample: Complaint and Action in Mandamus for Declaratory Relief
Sample complaint and action in mandamus for declaratory and injunctive relief, seeking judicial review of arbitrary and capricious delay in a plaintiff’s Form I-589, Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal. (Complaint, Amendment, Other Pleading)
CA1 Upholds Denial of Asylum as to Salvadoran Petitioner Who Was Threatened with Extortion by Gangs as a Teenager
Although the court agreed with petitioner that the BIA erred by failing to evaluate the severity of her mistreatment as a teenager through the eyes of a child, it held that she had not shown a connection between her mistreatment and any protected ground. (Varela-Chavarria v. Garland, 11/9/23)
District Court Halts Administrative Proceedings in DOJ Lawsuit Alleging That SpaceX Discriminated Against Asylees and Refugees in Hiring
Granting in part the plaintiff’s motion for a preliminary injunction, the court found that INA §274B proceedings are unconstitutional because the Attorney General is not allowed to review OCAHO ALJs’ decisions. (United States v. SpaceX, 11/8/23)
AILA and the Council Submit Comment to EOIR on Administrative Closure
AILA and the American Immigration Council submitted a comment in response to DOJ’s notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that seeks to restore authority to EOIR adjudicators to manage and decide their cases in a reasonable manner. AILA and the Council are supportive of this NPRM.
AILA Executive Director: Anti-Immigrant Provisions Tied to Necessary Funding Must Not Succeed
AILA Executive Director Ben Johnson responded to the extreme anti-immigrant provisions espoused by Senate Republicans that were reported on today; the plan “takes a page out of the far-right House bill, H.R. 2, by functionally closing the door to asylum seekers.”
Resources Related to Lawsuit Challenging the Trump Administration’s Remain in Mexico Policy
See resources related to Innovation Law Lab v. Nielsen, a lawsuit challenging the administration's policy forcing asylum seekers to return to Mexico and remain there while their cases are considered. The parties reached a settlement agreement where individual plaintiffs may remain in the U.S.
DHS Issues Guidance on Preventing and Addressing Gender-Based Violence Through a Victim-Centered Approach
DHS issued a directive that establishes its policy on efforts to prevent and address gender-based violence and formalizes its policy on victim-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally sensitive approaches.
Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for FY2024
President Biden issued a determination on 9/29/23, setting the refugee admissions ceiling for FY2024 at 125,000. The determination also provides regional ceilings. (88 FR 73521, 10/25/23)
CA1 Upholds Asylum Denial to Petitioners Who Feared Harm Based on China’s Continued Enforcement of Family Planning Policy
The court upheld the BIA’s affirmance of the IJ’s denial of the married petitioners’ applications for asylum and related relief based on alleged political persecution by Chinese officials seeking to enforce China’s Family Planning Policy. (M.S.C. v. Garland, 10/24/23)
Practice Alert: Venezuela TPS and Removal Flights Resume
AILA’s ICE Committee provides a practice alert on the resumption of removal flights to Venezuela, detained TPS-eligible clients, and tips on screening for post-order removal relief.