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Latest News and Press Releases

July 15, 2020
U.S. Executive Order is Unlikely to Help Hong Kong Refugees
WASHINGTON — While the president last night called on U.S. agencies to reallocate refugee resettlement slots to residents of Hong Kong in his executive order on Hong Kong normalization, due to his...
July 15, 2020
New Report Details Transit Ban Asylum Denials and Family Separations, Proposed Rule Would Revive Illegal Ban Despite Court Rulings
WASHINGTON - A year since the Trump administration’s third-country transit asylum ban was issued, this ban has caused the United States to deny asylum to refugees from Cameroon, Cuba, Guatemala,...
July 08, 2020
Trump Administration Expands Public Health Pretext to Block Asylum-Seekers
New proposed rules paradoxically ban people from places with high incidence of COVID-19, even as the United States leads the world in number of cases WASHINGTON - Human Rights First condemns the...
July 01, 2020
The Second Trump Asylum Ban Has Been Defeated in Court
Washington, D.C. - On June 30, Judge Timothy Kelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia struck down President Trump’s second asylum ban, ending a restrictive policy that had...
June 25, 2020
Human Rights First Decries Erosion of Protections for Asylum-Seekers in Supreme Court Ruling
WASHINGTON - In its decision today in Department of Homeland Security v. Thuraissigiam, a majority of the Supreme Court ruled that asylum seekers placed in expedited removal proceedings upon...
June 22, 2020
Human Rights First Condemns Rule Keeping Asylum-Seekers from Work Authorization
WASHINGTON - Human Rights First condemns the Trump administration’s new rule, slated to be issued on June 26, banning and delaying legal work authorizations for most asylum seekers while they wait...
June 20, 2020
Human Rights First Urges U.S. to Reassert Global Leadership in Protecting the Rights of Refugees
WASHINGTON - On World Refugee Day, Human Rights First calls on U.S. leaders and policymakers to restore U.S. leadership in protecting the human rights of refugees:  As we mark World Refugee...

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Related Event

May 5, 2019
World Refugee Day: Reception in Washington, D.C.

Once a year, World Refugee Day honors refugees and asylum seekers.

Yet every single day, we are inspired by the courage and resilience of those who fled danger, risking everything in hopes of building a better life for themselves and their families.

Join us on Tuesday, June 18th, for a reception celebrating our clients, honoring the work of our pro bono and community partners, and recommitting to shaping a brighter future for those seeking safety from harm.

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Learn MoreView all events

Resources

Factsheet | 2018
The Afghan Special Immigrant Visa Program

The Afghan Special Immigrant Visa Program 2009-2018 

What is the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa Program? 

Download

Report | April 09, 2021
Protection Postponed: Asylum Office Backlogs Cause Suffering, Separate Families, and Undermine Integration
The Biden Administration has inherited a large and growing backlog of asylum claims. As of September 2020, more than 386,000 applications were awaiting adjudication by the Asylum Division of U.S....
Factsheet | April 06, 2021
Swift Action to Improve Fairness and Enable Timely Asylum Hearings in Immigration Courts
The United States is capable of welcoming with dignity children, families, and adults seeking protection at the U.S.-Mexico border. The challenges at the border today can be met through measures,...
Letter | March 30, 2021
NGO Letter to Biden Administration on Recent Asylum Statements and Actions
Dear President Biden, The United States led efforts to draft the Refugee Convention in the wake of World War II and, in the Refugee Act of 1980, enshrined into law its commitment to protect people...
Letter | March 12, 2021
Letter to DHS and the State Department on the MPP Wind Down Process
Dear Secretaries Mayorkas and Blinken: Our faith-based, humanitarian, legal services, immigration, and human rights organizations and law school clinics welcome the administration’s initial steps...
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Our Experts

Emilee Cutright

Program Analyst, Veterans for American Ideals
Related Campaigns & Topics
Refugee Protection

Rebecca Gendelman

Pennoyer Fellow/Associate Attorney, Refugee Protection
Related Campaigns & Topics
Refugee Protection

Eleanor-Acer-HRF-2006.jpg

Eleanor Acer

Senior Director, Refugee Protection
Related Campaigns & Topics
Immigration Detention, Refugee Protection, Syrian Refugees, Xenophobia

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