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 information on your rights when […]
Category: Asylum
Island of Peace No More: Forced Migration from Ecuador
Cover photo: Fundación Municipal Bienal de Cuenca Ecuador, wedged between decades-long civil wars in Colombia and Peru, was once known as an island of peace in the Andes. In 2020, it had a homicide rate of 6.7 per 100,000 inhabitants, one of the lowest in the region. Today, drug trafficking and associated gang violence have […]
CALL TO ACTION – Mariposas de la Frontera: Uplifting the Stories of Asylum Seekers at the U.S.- Mexico Border
CALL TO ACTION –Mariposas de la Frontera: Uplifting the Stories of Asylum Seekers at the U.S.-Mexico Border Join USCRI & IINE in uplifting the voices of #lasmariposasdelafrontera, asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border! Over the past two years, the U.S. Government has made considerable changes to asylum and migrant processing at the southern U.S. border. […]
An Open Letter to Asylum Seekers
Dear asylum seekers, The U.S. Government has taken the liberty to determine that certain individuals fleeing persecution deserve safety more than others, and as asylum seekers coming to the U.S.-Mexico border, unfortunately, your plight does not measure up. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you fleeing conflict and war, human rights violations, and […]
Las Mariposas de la Frontera: One Asylum Seeker’s Search for Safety
Over the past two years, the current administration has made considerable changes to asylum and migrant processing at the southern U.S. border. Most recently, on June 4, the President issued a Proclamation on “Securing the Border,” which built upon previous regulations to effectively close the U.S.-Mexico border to asylum seekers and other migrants. Along with […]
USCRI Condemns the Effective Closure of the Border to Asylum Seekers
President Biden today issued a Proclamation on “Securing the Border,” which effectively closes the southern U.S. border to asylum seekers and other migrants. The proclamation limits and suspends the entry of any noncitizen into the United States across the southern border—unless they meet an exception—effective at 12:01 a.m. Eastern daylight time on June 5, 2024. […]
Call to Action: Protect Asylum
The Senate is expected to vote on a bill on Thursday May 23, 2024 that would significantly limit access to asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. This bill has been touted as “the toughest bipartisan border bill in a generation.” The proposed changes would constitute the most anti-immigrant and anti-asylum legislation in nearly a century and would […]
USCRI Opposes Proposed Border Deal, Urges Senators to Save Asylum
The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) strongly opposes the newly unveiled deal in the U.S. Senate that would dramatically curtail the right to seek asylum in exchange for unrelated foreign assistance. “USCRI unequivocally opposes proposals that would compromise the ability of the United States to offer protections for those fleeing persecution in pursuit […]
Trafficking Survivors Lost in the Funding Debate’s Asylum Stipulations
In October 2023, the Biden Administration requested emergency supplemental funding for short-term foreign aid, including support to Ukraine. This request came near the end of the month, as budget talks to fund the federal government and avoid a government shutdown recommenced with the first funding bill, or continuing resolution (CR), of Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 […]
USCRI Condemns the UK Bill to Revive Plans to Send Asylum Seekers to Rwanda
The emergency bill introduced by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak would have the UK shirking its international responsibility to provide safe haven to people seeking asylum. The bill revives a plan to send asylum seekers arriving in the United Kingdom (UK) to Rwanda for probable processing. Last month, the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom […]
