By: Rachel Ryu, Staff Attorney, Humanitarian Legal Services Contributors’ words and views are their own. Commentary by the author should not be attributed to contributors. Some contributions were edited for length. Read the unabridged versions here. On July 28, 2026, the world marks the 75th Anniversary of the Refugee Convention. The 1951 Refugee Convention (“1951 Convention”) was one of the first international […]
Category: Legal Landscape
Challenging Asylum, Green Card, and Citizenship Processing Holds: A USCRI Q&A with Milagro Sique, CEO of Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island
Written and edited by: Rachel Ryu, Staff Attorney, USCRI Humanitarian Legal Services Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island, a regional partner of USCRI, strives to create a welcoming environment for all, working to position the most vulnerable among us for more than 100 years. A non-profit 501(c)(3), Dorcas International offers adult education, language learning, job training, citizenship and […]
Statement – USCRI Calls on DHS to Withdraw Proposed Rule that Could Pause Asylum Seekers’ Work Permit Applications Up to 173 Years
On April 24, the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) filed a formal comment with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) strongly opposing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would dramatically restrict asylum seekers’ access to employment authorization documents (EADs), the work permits that allow them to legally support themselves and their families. The proposed rule, […]
Defending Refugees in Uncertain Times: A USCRI Q&A with Jeff Thielman, President and CEO of the International Institute of New England (IINE)
Written and edited by: Rachel Ryu, Staff Attorney, Humanitarian Legal Services The International Institute of New England (IINE), a regional partner of USCRI and one of the largest and oldest human service organizations in its region, provides humanitarian relief, English language learning, employment support, and immigration legal services to thousands of refugees and immigrants […]
Indefinite Separation – What Asylee Families Are Facing
In this policy brief, we share with you the experiences of 25 families from Afghanistan, Venezuela, and Cuba. They represent countless children, spouses, and parents. They are fathers who have yet to meet their sons in person. They are wives who face gender apartheid who have lived as a de facto single parent for years. [...]
USCRI Know Your Rights and Safety Planning
Updated: December 17, 2025 Regardless of immigration status, all individuals in the United States have guaranteed rights under the Constitution. The following guide is to inform survivors of human trafficking, asylum seekers, parolees, and other non-U.S. citizens of their legal rights in various situations with law enforcement and immigration officers. The Know Your Rights guide contains […]
The Struggle for Documentation in Mexico’s Asylum System: The Human Impact of Withholding the TVRH
By Ana Martinez, Welcoming Communities Program Intern at USCRI Mexico covering the protection and integration of migrants, returnees, asylum seekers and refugees in Mexico and Central America. Introduction A single mother and her daughter from Cuba arrived in Mexico seeking safety. Under Mexican law, they should have received a Tarjeta de Visitante por Razones Humanitarias (TVRH), or Visitor’s Card for Humanitarian Reasons, the official document that grants asylum seekers temporary access […]
