The Maine chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project are suing the federal government after a significant drop in approvals of political asylum applications from New England.Approvals are down three-quarters compared to 2016 and the two groups want to know why.”People have a right to know when you apply for asylum from Maine that you have so much lower a chance of getting approved,” ACLU of Maine Legal Director Emma Bond said.The Freedom of Information Act lawsuit follows last year’s influx of more than 600 families, mostly from the central African nations of Angola and Democratic Republic of the Congo to Maine.Maine asylum cases go before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in Boston, which is the agency’s regional office.The agency approved 40% of applications nationally and in New England in 2016, but that number dropped to 24% nationally in 2019 and 8% in New England.”With Maine in particular, which has quite a few asylum seekers from Central African countries, one of the concerns is discrimination could be at play, but of course, without the records, the policies, and the practices underlying the Boston office’s disproportionately low rates, we can’t know for sure,” Bond said.Citizenship and Immigration Services often hands off decisions of immigration courts, where applicants defend themselves from deportation.”By punting all of these asylum cases off to the asylum court, the asylum office is forcing a lot more families to wait, and that means longer delays, for example, for the families that we saw come here last summer,” ILAP Advocacy and Outreach Director Julia Brown said.Asylum approvals by immigration judges since President Donald Trump took office are also down nationally from 77% in 2016 to 47% in 2020. Regionally they are down from 43% in 2016 to 26% in 2020. That is a 40% drop.Asylum applications must now wait twice as long before getting a job. The Trump administration doubled the wait time to apply for a work permit from six to 12 months.”People who are here seeking asylum, they want to work, they want to provide for their families, and this has made it incredibly difficult for them,” Brown said.ILAP estimates there are as many as 6,000 asylum cases pending in Maine, which is a five-year backlog.The coronavirus pandemic has increased delays in immigration court. Citing the pending lawsuit, Citizenship and Immigration Services declined to comment.
The Maine chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project are suing the federal government after a significant drop in approvals of political asylum applications from New England.
Approvals are down three-quarters compared to 2016 and the two groups want to know why.
“People have a right to know when you apply for asylum from Maine that you have so much lower a chance of getting approved,” ACLU of Maine Legal Director Emma Bond said.
The Freedom of Information Act lawsuit follows last year’s influx of more than 600 families, mostly from the central African nations of Angola and Democratic Republic of the Congo to Maine.
Maine asylum cases go before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in Boston, which is the agency’s regional office.
The agency approved 40% of applications nationally and in New England in 2016, but that number dropped to 24% nationally in 2019 and 8% in New England.
“With Maine in particular, which has quite a few asylum seekers from Central African countries, one of the concerns is discrimination could be at play, but of course, without the records, the policies, and the practices underlying the Boston office’s disproportionately low rates, we can’t know for sure,” Bond said.
Citizenship and Immigration Services often hands off decisions of immigration courts, where applicants defend themselves from deportation.
“By punting all of these asylum cases off to the asylum court, the asylum office is forcing a lot more families to wait, and that means longer delays, for example, for the families that we saw come here last summer,” ILAP Advocacy and Outreach Director Julia Brown said.
Asylum approvals by immigration judges since President Donald Trump took office are also down nationally from 77% in 2016 to 47% in 2020. Regionally they are down from 43% in 2016 to 26% in 2020. That is a 40% drop.
Asylum applications must now wait twice as long before getting a job. The Trump administration doubled the wait time to apply for a work permit from six to 12 months.
“People who are here seeking asylum, they want to work, they want to provide for their families, and this has made it incredibly difficult for them,” Brown said.
ILAP estimates there are as many as 6,000 asylum cases pending in Maine, which is a five-year backlog.
The coronavirus pandemic has increased delays in immigration court. Citing the pending lawsuit, Citizenship and Immigration Services declined to comment.
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