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Sessions Closes Major Path for Asylum Seekers

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ICLC Attorney Featured In The New York Times

 
“The threats from her boyfriend came daily, fear having no respite, Blanca said. If she were to leave him, he told her from his jail cell, he would torture her, cut her into pieces and leave her to die. He was a member of the 18th Street gang in Honduras, and they did these sorts of things. She tried to resist. Then he threw her against a wall when she visited him in jail, the police nowhere to be found. When his fellow gang member later raped and impregnated her, and then another threatened to kill her, she finally fled to the United States in 2013.” 
 
- as reported here in the New York Times, ASC's  Immigrant Community Law Center (ICLC)  is representing Blanca, whose domestic violence and gang based-claim for asylum is now in jeopardy because of a decision Attorney General Sessions issued, which strips protection from those who need it most -- asylum seekers. Read the full New York Times Story here. 
 
Also, click here to view an ASC  Immigrant Community Law Center attorney Mauricio Noroña and client Blanca interview (SPANISH) in Univision's Primer Impacto. Thanks to Univision,  Primer Impacto, and Nayeli Chavez-Geller for bringing much-needed attention to the real consequences of the Attorney General's decision. 
 
This decision, Matter of A-B-, which overrules a case called Matter of A-R-C-G-, unilaterally dismantles longstanding asylum law. While the facts in this case involved a victim of severe domestic violence, Sessions's clear intent is to limit the availability of asylum in all contexts involving non-governmental actors, for example:
 
  • LGBTQ discrimination,
  • gang-based violence,
  • forced marriage, and
  • female genital mutilation, among others. 

 

Matter of A-R-C-G- represented a shining path for a more humane, gender conscious application of asylum law. It has helped countless individuals seeking refuge in the United States based on persecution suffered at the hands of those closest to them.We will continue to fight for Blanca and other clients, confident that the federal courts will not allow the Attorney General to impose a vision of asylum law that fails our international commitments and American notions of justice. This decision is not academic, it negatively impacts real people in real time with dire consequences in the US and at all borders. 

News and Updates

President Biden Launches Historic Plan to Restore, Expand Rights of Immigrants

The sweeping U.S. Citizenship Act would extend legal status and citizenship to 11 million undocumented immigrants.
 
In the first hours of his presidency, Joe Biden unveiled one of the most ambitious immigration plans in U.S. history. President Biden has launched an historic plan to restore and expand the rights of immigrants by introducing the U.S. Citizenship Act, which would extend legal status and citizenship to 11 undocumented immigrants. He's also announced the repeal of the Muslim Ban, the fortification of DACA, the suspension of border wall construction, and the restoration of protections for Liberians DED.  
 
Plus, "the bill further recognizes America as a nation of immigrants by changing the word “alien” to “noncitizen” in our immigration laws."
 
More here. 

ASC Combats Rapid Rise in NYC COVID-19 Cases

 
The number of new COVID19 cases in NYC has been rising rapidly and is now at a level we have not seen since April. People with underlying health conditions, as well as those who live or care for such people, should take increased precautions. Learn more here. 
 
In addition to offering free and confidential testing for HIV, viral hepatitis, blood glucose, blood pressure, TB, and STIs to walk-in clients throughout the week at ASC’s Testing Center, ASC conducts free COVID-19 PCR tests for the uninsured —along with all of our other free health testing services from our headquarters in Harlem. 
 
All are welcome to stop by Monday to Friday from 11 am to 4 pm to get tested. 

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