Browse our publications to learn more about how we support immigrant survivors of gender-based violence through service in communities, courts, and Congress.
Tahirih Houston, Catholic Charities, Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative, Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), YMCA Houston, and the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights call for the immediate suspension of plans to subject unaccompanied immigrant children to remote video hearings.
On February 27, 2020, the Tahirih Justice Center celebrated what we thought was an important victory in the fight to stop the harmful ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy, which forces asylum seekers to wait in dangerous conditions in Mexico as they await their court hearings. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals originally ruled to halt this policy, however later that same day, the court decided to stay the ruling and allow ‘Remain in Mexico’ to continue, pending additional review.
On March 1, 2020, Judge Moss in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the acting head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) was unlawfully appointed to lead the agency. As a result, the court found that several policies aimed to limit asylum protections must be “set aside”, and potentially all directives implemented at USCIS during his tenure. Among these policies include an order to shorten the amount of time asylum seekers have to prepare for credible-fear interviews, while another policy prohibited asylum officers from granting extensions to asylum seekers.
The Tahirih Justice Center and partner organizations filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in support of a petitioner seeking to challenge that court’s view concerning when an individual is an applicant for admission to the United States. The brief highlights that the court’s existing interpretation threatens to render many VAWA self-petitioners inadmissible.
The Tahirih Justice Center, a plaintiff in the lawsuit challenging the ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy, applauds the decision in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to reinstate an injunction, forcing the policy to grind to a halt. ‘Remain in Mexico’ was implemented over a year ago and under the policy, asylum seekers are forced to live in dangerous conditions in Mexico while awaiting the rest of their court hearings.
The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) announced proposed regulations to exponentially raise fees for immigration court filings, including a new $50 fee for asylum applications. If finalized, the regulations would also increase fees for case appeals in immigration court by more than eight times the original cost. The proposed fees create additional, undue barriers for immigrant survivors fleeing gender-based violence.
On February 24, 2020, the administration’s public charge rule went into effect. The Tahirih Justice Center is deeply disappointed by last month’s Supreme Court decision that allows the rule to be implemented as legal challenges continue, making it harder for certain immigrants to obtain a Green Card if they have used a range of public benefits, like food stamps, non-emergency Medicaid, certain prescription drug subsidies, and housing vouchers.
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