Author: Administrator

Asylum Program Newsletter – December 2023

Case Profile:DV Survivor Granted Asylum Seven Years After Applying “In Honduras, a dead woman is just a statistic.” – Mother of murder victim Contracorriente, August 8, 2020 Having requested asylum in 2016, a Honduran survivor of extreme domestic violence and her two daughters have finally won their case after seven tedious years of uncertainty. The […]

Aljazeera: Indigenous groups say they are left out of US immigration debate

Indigenous asylum seekers from Latin America often face language barriers and discrimination on their journey to the US. By Brian Osgood Published On 24 Jul 202324 Jul 2023 As the United States enacts numerous policies that critics say restrict access to asylum, rights groups have expressed concern that such policies could have especially severe impacts on Indigenous […]

Lawyers Say Helping Asylum Seekers in Border Custody Is Nearly Impossible –The New York Times

The Biden administration changed the way “credible fear” interviews are conducted and raised the bar for who is eligible to seek asylum. By Eileen Sullivan Reporting from Washington July 22, 2023 In the first weeks after President Biden’s new border policies were put in place, his administration recorded a sharp drop in the number of people […]

Press Release: ASISTA Condemns Horrific, Inhumane Treatment of Migrants in Texas

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 19, 2023 Contact: Kirsten Rambo, kirsten@asistahelp.org As documented by the Houston Chronicle and other outlets such as The Guardian and CNN, a trooper-medic with the Texas Department of Public Safety expressed concern to his supervisor earlier this month about the inhumane ways that staff there are being ordered to treat migrants, including pushing people back into the river and refusing […]

Biden’s asylum changes reduced border crossings. But are the rules legal?

The Washington Post, By Maria Sacchetti July 18, 2023  The Biden administration has declared that migrants are automatically ineligible for asylum if they enter the United States illegally or fail to seek asylum in another country on their route, according to a temporary rule imposed in mid-May. Asylum seekers who cross the borderillegally are being treated […]

Finding a Pro Bono Immigration Attorney Is Harder Than Ever

Posted in Immigration Impact by Atenas Burrola Estrada | May 19, 2023 | Asylum, Due Process & the Courts, Humanitarian Protection If you are an asylum seeker in the United States who cannot afford an attorney, your chance of finding pro bono assistance is now slimmer than ever. As the number of cases in immigration court has increased, the amount of free […]

APA Board Member Named Outstanding Volunteer of the Month by SALA

Valerie Hink, APA Board of Directors co-secretary and long-time immigration attorney is recognized as the March 2023 Outstanding Volunteer of the Month by Southern Arizona Legal Aid’s (SALA) Volunteer Lawyer’s Program (VLP). Valerie volunteers on the APA Legal Services Committee and provides case screening interviews and advice for prospective clients. She also volunteers at the […]

Contribute to APA by April 18: Receive Dollar-for-Dollar Income Tax Credit on 2022 Arizona State Tax Return

APA has just been granted Qualified Charitable Organization (QCO) status for 2023 by the Arizona Department of Revenue. That means you still have time to donate to APA and receive charitable tax credit for up to $400 for individual taxpayers or $800 for joint filers on your 2022 state tax returns.   Arizona law allows […]