Today, the Biden administration announced it would end its use of Title 42 on May 23, 2022. For two years, Title 42 has been used to justify the rapid expulsion of migrants at the border and the denial of their right to seek asylum.

Tahirih’s policy work is rooted in our core values and in our specific theory of change. Inspired by the Bahá’í faith and grounded in our belief in the oneness of humanity, we reach for a society that embraces our diversity and guarantees everyone’s human rights. Our mission is to advance policies and laws that enable immigrant survivors of gender-based violence to pursue legal immigration status, live in safety, and forge their own paths. Everything we do is in service of that goal.

The immigration system is shattered. Survivors are denied access to safety because of policies and practices that could be fixed. The Tahirih Justice Center is prioritizing the following policy goals to immediately improve protections for immigrant survivors while simultaneously seeking long-term, systemic change.

Tahirih’s Managing Attorney, Payal Sinha, wrote an opinion piece published by otherwords.org. The commentary explains why 1.4 million immigrants are stuck waiting on work permits, which is threatening their ability to survive.

The Tahirih Justice Center celebrates yesterday’s court ruling in AsylumWorks v. Mayorkas. It’s a lawsuit that challenged two rules that prevented people seeking asylum from receiving timely work authorization.

Today, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) introduced a bill that would reshape the nation’s immigration courts by making them independent of the Department of Justice (DOJ), led by the U.S. attorney general. The bill would create a new immigration court system under Article I of the U.S. Constitution and it would ensure that judges are unbiased, that court procedures are transparent to the public, and that the executive branch does not decide on the court’s budget. The Tahirih Justice Center believes this bill is an important step to ensure a fair process for immigrants where matters of life and liberty are at stake.  

Mariela is a survivor of forced marriage and domestic violence. She is currently seeking an appeal on her asylum case.

Today, the Biden administration issued a memo that attempts to end, for a second time, the Remain in Mexico policy, also knows as the Migrant Protection Protocols, which was implemented in 2019 and forced thousands of individuals to wait in Mexico while their asylum cases are processed.