#International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP)

[xtruss]

US Entry Becomes A Travel Minefield As Canada, Ireland, Denmark, And Germany Report Cases Of Tourist Detained Despite Valid Visas: New Report You Need to Know

— Tuesday, April 8, 2025 | USA Today

US Travel Becomes Riskier For Visa and Green Card Holders as Canada, Ireland, Denmark, and Germany Issue Warnings Amid Rising Border Scrutiny.

In recent months, many green card holders, visa applicants, and international travelers have found that entering or returning to the United States has become significantly more complex and uncertain. Tougher border inspections and increased enforcement at airports and land entry points are contributing to rising anxiety—part of broader immigration enforcement trends that began under the Trump administration and appear to be continuing.

As the spring and summer travel seasons near, travelers are growing wary. Stories of lawful permanent residents and foreign nationals being questioned, delayed, or even detained have raised red flags for those hoping to vacation, study, or reunite with family in the US. Universities such as Brown have proactively advised international students and staff to avoid unnecessary travel, citing a need for “Caution in the Current Climate.”

Adding to concerns, governments including those of Canada, Ireland, Denmark, and Germany have issued updated advisories, warning their citizens to be meticulous about US entry requirements to avoid complications or detention.

Legal Experts Warn Travelers to Know Their Rights

Immigration lawyers across the country are now urging foreign nationals to understand their legal standing before flying into the US. Stephanie Gee, a Senior Immigration Law Expert at the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), explains that three primary groups arrive at US ports of entry: American citizens, green card holders (permanent residents), and visa holders.

US Citizens, By Law, Cannot Be Denied Entry. Green card holders have more protections than visa holders but are still vulnerable to increased scrutiny, especially if there are any red flags in their record. Importantly, both US citizens and green card holders may legally decline to answer questions from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents or hand over digital devices for inspection—though doing so can result in delays.

Understanding Your Risk Based on Immigration Status

The level of scrutiny travelers face varies based on numerous factors, including nationality, visa type, and prior criminal or immigration history. According to a recent report, immigration attorney Stephen Yale-Loehr pointed to a draft list of 43 nations whose citizens might soon face travel restrictions. While the list hasn’t been publicly finalized, it reportedly includes countries such as Iran, Libya, Afghanistan, Venezuela, and Cuba.

Travelers from countries potentially facing future travel bans are being strongly advised to reassess their plans—even if they possess valid documents. Visa holders from these regions are particularly at risk of being denied entry or placed in secondary inspection, which can sometimes lead to hours or even days of detainment.

There have been increasing reports of visa holders being forced to return on the next outbound flight, while others have faced prolonged questioning or temporary detention. Green card holders are also not exempt. Extended trips abroad, especially when paired with any prior criminal convictions, can result in difficult re-entry experiences. One such case involved Fabian Schmidt, a German National with a US Green Card, who was detained at Boston Logan International Airport over a years-old minor drug offense.

Electronic Devices May Be Searched

Another challenge many travelers now face is the possibility of being asked to unlock smartphones, laptops, or cameras during inspection. While US citizens and permanent residents are not legally obligated to provide passwords, visa holders who refuse may be denied entry. Even for those not required to comply, refusing access to electronics can lead to extended delays or further questioning.

CBP agents may review devices for material that they believe indicates criminal or security concerns, including past legal troubles, affiliations with extremist groups, or evidence of visa fraud.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) recommends travelers take proactive steps: request the names and badge numbers of CBP agents if asked to unlock devices, and always get a receipt if any items are confiscated. These steps help ensure accountability in cases of wrongful searches or seizures.

Steps to Take If Entry Is Denied or Delayed

Though not common, detainments and extended questioning do occur. If you or someone you know is subject to secondary screening or held for any reason, immigration attorneys stress the importance of staying calm and being prepared. Having contact information for a trusted friend or an immigration lawyer can make a critical difference.

Travelers who are not fluent in English have the right to request an interpreter. Stephanie Gee emphasizes that this request should be documented formally to ensure it’s honored and to protect the traveler’s rights in case of future legal issues.

Prepare Before You Travel

As summer approaches and more people plan trips, green card holders and visa holders should carefully consider the potential risks of traveling internationally. While US Citizens are Guaranteed Re-entry, permanent residents and Visa-Holding Visitors Face a Different Reality—especially those with legal issues or originating from countries flagged by US authorities.

Before booking a ticket, it’s advisable to consult an Immigration Professional who can assess your personal circumstances. Knowing your rights and preparing for the worst-case scenario may help avoid unnecessary stress or even denial of entry.

In this new era of heightened scrutiny, staying informed and vigilant can make all the difference.

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

February 12, 2025, Washington, D.C. — Immigrants’ rights advocates sued the Trump administration today for access to immigrants transferred from the United States to detention at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba under President Trump’s recent order.

The American Civil Liberties Union, Center for Constitutional Rights, International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), and ACLU of the District of Columbia filed the lawsuit on behalf of several plaintiffs, including the sister of one of the men being detained at Guantánamo, as well as four legal service providers — Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES), American Gateways, and Americans for Immigrant Justice — seeking to meet with the people being detained in order to provide them with legal assistance. The Trump administration has provided virtually no information about immigrants newly detained at Guantánamo, including how long they will be held there, under what authority and conditions, subject to what legal processes, or whether they will have any means of communicating with their families and attorneys.

[mariacallous]

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced that he plans to sign an executive order instructing the departments of Defense and Homeland Security to prepare an existing migrant detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to house tens of thousands of migrants.

“We have 30,000 beds in Guantánamo to detain the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people,” Trump said at the White House. “Some of them are so bad we don’t even trust the countries to hold them because we don’t want them coming back, so we’re going to send them out to Guantánamo.”

Guantánamo Bay, the site of a U.S. naval base, is perhaps best known as the location of the infamous detention camp where the United States has held foreign terrorist suspects for more than two decades. Rights groups have called for the facility’s closure for years due to its association with indefinite detention and torture. The prison camp has housed nearly 800 men—many of whom were never charged with a crime—since its inception in 2002. Over the course of the Biden administration, the population dropped from 40 to 15, but U.S. President Joe Biden failed to fulfill his stated pledge to shut the prison down.

In addition to the prison, Guantánamo is also home to a separate, lesser-known facility that the United States, under both Republican and Democratic administrations—including the Biden administration—has used since the mid-1990s to detain migrants intercepted at sea as they attempted to reach the United States. Advocacy groups have called for the U.S. government to stop the practice and shutter the facility, which is known as the Migrant Operations Center.

Last October, the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) and other organizations implored Biden “to stop detaining asylum seekers at Guantánamo Bay and to allow people interdicted at sea to seek protection in the United States.” IRAP accused the U.S. government of denying detainees access to attorneys and depriving children held in the facility of “appropriate access to education, medical care, and mental health support.”

Given this history, Trump’s move to potentially detain tens of thousands of migrants at Guantánamo is already being criticized by human rights organizations. “Another terrible idea, just when we were getting closer to closing the unlawful prison that’s there already,” Daphne Eviatar, the director of the Security With Human Rights program at Amnesty International USA, posted on X on Wednesday in response to the news.

“Indefinite detention without due process at Guantanamo has been a powerful recruiting tool for US enemies; it has not made anyone safer,” Eviatar added.

Meanwhile, Anthony Scaramucci, who briefly served as the White House communications director during Trump’s first administration, in an X post likened Wednesday’s announcement to opening a “concentration camp.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

[peakbeneathclassifieds]

If you are looking for work and want to help refugees in these trying times, now would be an excellent time to join IRAP, the International Refugee Assistance Project. They have open positions for operation director, case worker, translator, senior accounting manager, and intake volunteers!

[purpledestinyzombie]

I'm so sorry you're going through this. What you're experiencing is heartbreaking and incredibly unjust. No one should be forced to flee their home or live in fear because of who they are.

If you're currently in Gorom Refugee Camp in South Sudan, there are a few important things you can do:

Seek UNHCR Support: The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is present in South Sudan and should be your first contact. Let them know clearly that you are an LGBTQ+ asylum seeker facing persecution due to your sexual orientation. This may qualify you for resettlement or urgent protection measures.

Contact LGBTQ+ Rights Organizations:

Refugee Flag Kenya (based in Nairobi, but they might guide you remotely)

IRAP (International Refugee Assistance Project) – They assist with legal help and resettlement.

ORAM (Organization for Refuge, Asylum and Migration) – They support LGBTQ+ refugees worldwide.

Document Everything: Keep records of threats, attacks, or discrimination. If you reported incidents to local authorities or camp officials, keep copies or notes of those too.

Reach Out for Legal Help: You might be eligible for resettlement to a third country where you can live safely. Many LGBTQ+ refugees have been resettled to countries like Canada, the USA, or European nations through UNHCR or private sponsorship programs. UNHCR or any organization? I can assist with that or help you find direct contacts. You're not alone in this.

[minnesotafollower]

U.S. Non-Profit Reports that U.S. Mistreats Migrants at U.S. Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

The International Refugee Assistance Project, a non-profit based in New York City, states the following as its Mission: “IRAP is a global legal aid and advocacy organization working to create a world where refugees and all people seeking safety are empowered to claim their right to freedom of movement and a path to lasting refuge. Everyone should have a safe place to live and a safe way to get…

[lion-hrt]

Petition to Fully Reinstate Afghan Fulbright Scholar Program

In January 2022, the U.S. Dept. of State suspended the Fulbright Scholar Program in Afghanistan for security reasons, effectively stranding the 140 semifinalists who had been waiting for months for news. In March, the DoS partially reinstated the program to allow interviews to go forward in April and June, but the start date would not be until Summer or Fall 2023, and still pending improvements in conditions in Afghanistan. 

The talented students applying to become Fulbright Scholars are in danger from the Taliban every day the United States delays this program. Please join the student chapters of the International Refugee Assistance Project in supporting a petition to request that the DoS fully reinstate the program this year, and release more information about the security concerns they believe are barriers to bringing these Afghan students here to study. 

https://www.change.org/p/fully-reinstate-the-afghan-fulbright-scholar-program

[sockdreams]

New Ongoing Charitable Socks: $1 Will Go to IRAP for Every Pair of Our Dreamer Stars & Stripes Crews Sold

We’ve started expanding our Charitable Socks to include some ongoing donations in addition to our rotating monthly socks, and we’re so happy to add the International Refugee Assistance Project, through our Dreamer Stars & Stripes Crews. 

IRAP says it best themselves:

The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) organizes law students and lawyers to develop and enforce a set of legal and human rights for refugees and displaced persons. Mobilizing direct legal aid and systemic policy advocacy, IRAP serves the world’s most persecuted individuals and empowers the next generation of human rights leaders. 

We think there’s nothing more American than protecting the rights of those who can’t fight for themselves, and we’re happy to be helping IRAP in their mission.

[rightsinexile]

Vacancies

International Refugee Assistance Project seeks Staff Attorney, Senior Staff Attorney, NYC or DC, USA

The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) is a dynamic and growing legal, policy, and advocacy organization that works to develop and enforce a system of legal and human rights for refugees and displaced people around the world. They are the leading organization that provides free and comprehensive legal services to people they serve through registration, protection, and resettlement processes. IRAP is hiring for multiple attorney positions for attorneys to work in direct legal services and be a part of the growing US Legal Department. The available positions will focus primarily on direct representation of refugees and other displaced people seeking admission or parole into the US. The attorneys will also be responsible for aiding in training, supporting, and advising pro bono teams of law firm attorneys and law students representing refugees, Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants, and other vulnerable individuals. This is an exciting opportunity for individuals interested in refugee rights, human rights, immigration, and international law to be part of a growing agency that makes an impact on the lives of refugees and other displaced people. The positions report to senior members of the Legal Department. For more details and to apply, please see here the full job description.

Human Rights First seeks Senior Staff Attorney for Los Angeles (US) office

The Los Angeles office of Human Rights First is hiring a Senior Staff Attorney for an immediate opening. The successful applicant will collaborate with the office’s managing attorney to effectively manage the office’s processes, workload and resources, including, potentially, supervising legal services coordinators, fellows, interns and/or volunteers. At the managing attorney’s direction, the senior staff attorney will develop and advance strategies and projects aimed at improving team efficiency, client services, and pro bono representation. They will assist in administering Human Rights First’s pro bono asylum legal representation work, primarily within the Los Angeles metro area. They will mentor law firm attorneys providing representation in asylum cases in removal proceedings (detained and non-detained) and affirmative cases before the asylum office. In addition, they will engage in direct representation of asylum cases (both affirmative and in removal proceedings). Interested applicants should apply through the HRF career portal.

Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) seeks to fill three open positions in Seattle (US) office

The Seattle office of Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) has three open positions that they are actively seeking to fill. They are looking to hire an interim paralegal (six month position with the possibility of extension) to work with unaccompanied children who are presently or recently in Office of Refugee Resettlement custody. KIND also has a staff attorney position open to work with unaccompanied children released into the community. This position will involve both direct immigration representation and mentoring of pro bono attorneys who provide the representation. Both positions require fluency in Spanish. They are also looking for an attorney for a short interim (4 week) staff attorney position. More information about all of these positions and instructions on how to apply can be found on the KIND website. Please note that on the same site you can find other openings KIND has available across the US, including positions involving the provision of legal services to unaccompanied children at Emergency Intake Sites in Texas and California.  

Jewish Family Service seeks Refugee and Immigrant Services Managing Attorney in Seattle (US) office

Jewish Family Service is seeking a Refugee and Immigrant Services Managing Attorney to join their Refugee and Immigrant Services team. This full-time position will provide direct representation for children and adults in immigration cases while helping to build a network of support for the broader immigration needs of asylum seekers in the Seattle/Tacoma Metro Area. The attorney will focus on providing direct legal representation in defensive asylum cases, applications for withholding of removal, and Convention Against Torture protection. The Attorney may also represent adults and children affirmatively seeking asylum; children seeking Special Immigrant Juvenile Status; and crime victims seeking VAWA classification or U visas, among other immigration benefits. For more details and information about how to apply, please click here.

[paperstorm]

Hi pals. I have two fics up for auction for the 2019 @marveltrumpshate​! My fills last year for @frau-argh​ and @kalika999​ were so much fun that I’m back again.

1) A 10k word fic based on the bidder’s prompt (or a plot of my own creation if the bidder doesn’t have a specific prompt)

2)  A 5k word fic based on the bidder’s prompt (or a plot of my own creation if the bidder doesn’t have a specific prompt)

Because I’m not American, I’ve requested bidders be willing to support one of three charities that work internationally: the International Refugee Assistance Project, The Trevor Project, or Amnesty International (the IRAP would be my first choice, but who you donate to is up to you!)

My previous AO3 works are here. Bidding is now open, and will remain open until October 26th. Click on the above links to bid on me, or click here to view the other offerings if my writing doesn’t turn your crank but you’d still like to participate.

[96thdayofrage]

A potential Afghan Adjustment Act has received overwhelming support from organizations including Amnesty International, Veterans for American Ideals, and International Refugee Assistance Project. Advocates of the potential policy hope to receive bipartisan support from the policy in Congress. The recommended legislation would allow at-risk Afghans who have been or will be paroled into the U.S. between July 1, 2021, and July 1, 2025, to apply to adjust their status and apply for a green card. It would also include a discretionary waiver authority to exempt Afghans who worked as civil servants or were forced to work under the Taliban during a situation of hardship or duress. According to the IRAP’s factsheet, “current law does not appropriately reckon with the fact that the Taliban is the de facto government of Afghanistan, and this creates a high likelihood that … at-risk Afghans could be barred from permanent status for arbitrary or wrongful reasons that have no bearing on national security.”

The State Department has previously determined, and the Supreme Court has upheld, that merely working in any capacity (including clerks and school teachers) under the Taliban government was sufficient cause to bar a visa applicant as part of the Terrorism-Related Inadmissibility Grounds (TRIG). This waiver authority is vital to ensure that something as minor as being the victim of a Taliban checkpoint shakedown does not prevent Afghan parolees from permanent status. Republican Sen. Tom Cotton and 25 of his Senate colleagues have already written a letter demanding information about the vetting process for Afghans who had ties to terrorist organizations, without considering that some may have had to work under the Taliban during duress or extreme hardship.

“The way that law is interpreted leads to absurd situations where people who should be protected are not,” says Adam Bates, policy council for International Refugee Assistance Project. “The waiver gives the administration the discretion to look at individual cases and make a decision of whether that should be waived in a particular context.”

Jahanmal worked as an interpreter for the U.S. Army in Afghanistan for most of his life, but when Kabul fell to the Taliban in August, he knew he wasn’t safe. He gathered his wife and three young children and got on one of the first flights out. Since then, Jahanmal has been advocating for an Afghan Adjustment Act that would help Afghan refugees apply to adjust their status and become lawful permanent residents.

After a 20-year occupation, Afghan refugees like Jahanmal and organizers say a clear path to citizenship is the least the U.S. can do after leaving Afghanistan in the hands of the Taliban—causing turmoil and upheaval for the country’s citizens and the people who protected the U.S.’ presence there.

[godblessthesickos]

In case anyone wants to donate, the orgs bringing this suit forward appear to be The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), American Civil Liberties Union, Center for Constitutional Rights, and ACLU of the District of Columbia.

When the Trump administration announced a hazy plan in January to begin sending some 30,000 people pegged for deportation to Guantánamo Bay, the first thought that came to my mind was a closet-sized press room at the Pentagon where I once sat nearly 10 years ago, straining to hear the distant voice of a prisoner begging for his release through crackling phone lines. 

The prisoner, who had a long history of mental illness, was Mohammad al-Qahtani, one of the first people the Bush administration detained at the prison in Cuba and someone the government said narrowly missed being the 20th hijacker on Sept. 11. He was also the only person the government ever formally acknowledged was tortured at Gitmo. He was released in 2022 and sent back to his home country of Saudi Arabia for mental health treatment.  

Even with Pentagon officials having set up access for a literal handful of reporters to hear him clearly, we could not. We were told it was a common occurrence and this is just how it is when you’re trying to access Gitmo from afar. We were lucky, I heard, that the connection worked at all and we should be grateful for good weather that kept lines open, shoddy as they were.

So, when a lawsuit seeking to stop a forced deportation to Guantánamo by a group of 10 migrants came across my desk this week — none of whom appear to be terrorists but have been flagged by the Trump administration as “the worst of the worst” for alleged criminal gang behavior — I thought back to al-Qahtani. 

Were these people like him, either in their alleged crimes or their circumstances? Would their experiences mirror his? Would they be tortured? Would they lack consistent, reliable access to lawyers? Would they too be consigned to pleading for their freedom with few to no witnesses to report out what is happening to them? 

Many of those detained are now being held in facilities in Texas, Arizona and Virginia, having come to the U.S. seeking asylum with their families. They don’t contest being removed, but their lawsuit challenges where they are potentially being removed to. Their lawyers say longstanding immigration laws mean no immigrant detained by the government can be shipped off to Guantánamo.  

Gitmo has a long history of alleged abuse of inmates, including both physical and mental torture. And as I read the lawsuit filed this week, it was the words “punishment chair” that leapt off the page. 

Immigrants already sent to Gitmo by the Trump administration have told their lawyers that guards are allegedly withholding water as punishment, the suit notes. They allege that when they speak up about the poor conditions or treatment, some people have been tied to a chair, as punishment, for hours. One man claimed a guard broke his hand. Others, like al-Qahtani years ago, became suicidal or tried to self-harm, the lawsuit notes.

With so many lawsuits involving the administration flooding the zone, a herculean effort to keep a handle on what the government is doing and to whom is required. But for the migrants staring down the possibility of detention at Guantánamo Bay — and not just these 10 individuals, but the tens of thousands that the Trump administration has said it intends to send there — time is of the essence.

There are only literal days left until these 10 individuals are shipped off to Gitmo barring court intervention. It’s a world where they, and whatever happens to them, are mostly, if not entirely, hidden from the public’s view.

[twsor1]

Airbnb’s Political Activism

This morning I received an email allegedly from the founders of Airbnb.  Presumably it is boilerplate stuff sent to every email address they have in their database.  The email and my response follow:

From: Airbnb Co-Founders - Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia and Nathan Blecharczyk <hello@airbnbmail.com>

Sent: Wednesday, June 27, 2018 8:23 AM

To: twsor1

Subject: Let’s keep traveling forward

Hi twsor1,

The US Supreme Court decided to uphold the travel ban. We are profoundly disappointed by the Court's decision. The travel ban is a policy that goes against our mission and values — to restrict travel based on a person's nationality or religion is wrong.

And while this news is a setback, we will continue the fight with organizations that are helping those impacted. Airbnb will be matching donations to the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) up to a total of $150,000 through September 30, 2018 to support their work advocating for systemic change and legal pathways for those affected by the travel ban. If you’d like to join us, you can donate here.

We believe that travel is a transformative and powerful experience and that building bridges between cultures and communities creates a more innovative, collaborative and inspired world. At Airbnb, we are so grateful to our community who will continue to open doors around the world so that together, we can travel forward.

Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia and Nathan Blecharczyk

Sent with ♥ fromAirbnb, Inc.

888 Brannan Street, San Francisco, CA 94103

Response:

Re: Let’s keep traveling forward

twsor1

Wed 6/27/2018, 8:40 AM

Airbnb Co-Founders - Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia and Nathan Blecharczyk;Airbnb;

Dear Brian, Joe, and Nathan,

It is a sad state of affairs we find ourselves in when so many are polarized by politics and, as a result, misinformed about the facts.  I don't see the travel ban as a restriction "based on a person's nationality or religion".  On its face, the policy restricts travel into our country from countries that do not (or cannot) enforce a certain level of security on those traveling out.  As example, not all counties that are affected are Muslim (i.e. Venezuela and North Korea).  Furthermore, many 'Muslim countries' are not on the list (i.e. Saudi Arabia and most others in the Middle East).  And, Chad was able to remove itself from the list by increasing its security measures to meet the requirements of the travel policy.  So, if you don't (or can't) see this for what it is, a matter of national security, then you are looking at it through a jaded lens.  Additionally, I am not inclined to patronize businesses with this type of political agenda and I suspect your business will ultimately suffer for taking such a forward stance on this issue.

Best,

twsor1

[expatimes]

Refugee advocates urge Biden to 'rebuild' the US asylum system

Refugee advocates in the United States are calling on President-elect Joe Biden to reverse some of Donald Trump's most restrictive immigration policies, including historic-low admission quotas for asylum seekers, when he takes office in January.

Rebuilding the US refugee program may take time, said Becca Heller, executive director of the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) advocacy group, but it is critical for thousands of asylum seekers waiting for their claims to be heard.

“The refugee program may take some time to rebuild, but the thousands of refugees who have already been waiting in limbo for years don't have any more time,” Heller told Al Jazeera in an emailed statement.

The US Refugee Admissions Program was severely limited under the Trump administration, which has enacted increasingly restrictive refugee admission quotas and slashed refugee acceptance by more than 80 percent from the last year of former President Barack Obama's administration.

IRAP recommendations released on Friday for the incoming Biden administration to address refugee and asylum seeker admissions into the country - and “rebuild” that federal admissions program.

The recommendations, Expanding Complementary Pathways for Refugees and Displaced Persons: A Blueprint for the US Government (PDF), point to six main areas where action can be taken, including family reunification, private sponsorship and labor pathways for refugees.

Increased targets

Biden has signalled his openness to expanding refugee admissions.

He promised to set a refugee admissions target of 125,000 a year and work with Congress to establish a minimum admissions number of at least 95,000 refugees annually in June, on World Refugee Day, in line with historical averages.

This would be a sharp change from Trump's measures: the Republican president's final presidential determination on refugee admissions to the US set the cap at 15,000, the lowest since the Refugee Act of 1980 was enacted.

Biden also reportedly plans on restoring DACA, the Obama-era program that protects from deportation undocumented immigrants brought to the US as children, and end the so-called “Muslim Ban” that now bars travellers from 13 countries, not all of which have a Muslim majority.

The incoming Biden administration is also expected to put in place a 100-day freeze on deportations until updated guidance is issued.

US President-elect Joe Biden removes his face mask to speak in Wilmington, Delaware, on November 16 [Kevin Lamarque/Reuters]

IRAP's recommendations are lengthy, given the complexity of US asylum and refugee resettlement programs, which work with a wide array of organizations, from the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) to local governments.

Many local resettlement agencies receive funds in line with the number of refugees that arrive in the US.

That means that lower refugee resettlement admissions during the Trump administration have financially strained many of these groups, causing some to close, which could make resettlement more difficult in certain areas.

But IRAP welcomed Biden's initial promises and emphasized that the “new administration should make efforts on Day One to put programs in place that reunite families and protect those in danger”, Heller said.

Among its recommendations, the group wanted Biden to issue executive orders that address “undue delays” and state that “family unity is a national priority.”

It also wanted Biden to help mitigate issues resulting from Trump's restrictive policies, which have created bottlenecks and kept families apart - either through forcible separation or extended application processing times.

'A messy patchwork'

JC Hendrickson, senior director of public policy at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), a global relief organization that helps with refugee resettlement in the US, told Al Jazeera he welcomed Biden's promises to expand refugee admissions and rescind Trump policies.

“But the US asylum system needs a good hard look. It's a messy patchwork of different laws and statutes and regulations, ”Hendrickson told Al Jazeera in an interview.

The IRC has released its own recommendations, both on issues on the US-Mexico border and the refugee admissions program, including a new, in-depth study of the program.

No such study has been conducted since 2005, and Hendrickson said the global need for resettlement has increased during the past 15 years, spurred in large part by conflict, economic fluctuations, climate change and other issues.

Many asylum seekers who reach the US-Mexico border come from countries that are grappling with these issues, whether it be security concerns from organized crime or the recent hurricanes that have battered Central America.

But at the border, they meet “policies being determined by cruelty” that limit “access to long-standing pathways” to safely seek asylum, Hendrickson said.

That includes the "Remain in Mexico" policy that forces asylum seekers to stay in Mexico until their court hearings can be held in the US.

While Biden has much to do in his first 100 days - an early measure for judging a new president's effectiveness - Hendrickson said it will be necessary to create “a series of new policies” to protect asylum seekers.

Addressing the issues in the US asylum and refugee systems facing “is a huge task”, he said. "The world will be watching how we manage this."

. #world Read full article: https://expatimes.com/?p=14480&feed_id=18826

[socialjusticeartshare]

Biden Plans To Reopen America To Refugees After Trump Slashed Admissions

President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to reassert America's commitment to refugees after the Trump White House's slashing of the resettlement program, part of the current president's anti-immigration drive.

In 2016, President Barack Obama aimed to admit 110,000 refugees. President Trump lowered the cap on refugee admissions every year of his presidency. For fiscal year 2021, he set the cap at 15,000, the lowest on record.

Biden promises to take a starkly different approach from his predecessor: to "set the annual global refugee admissions cap to 125,000, and seek to raise it over time."

For decades, the United States led the world in offering protection to people fleeing persecution in other countries. Now the Biden presidency will mark a return to the political consensus that the U.S. should continue to do so, refugee policy experts say.

But while the president has the authority to set refugee admissions numbers, it will take time to rebuild the nation's resettlement program after four years of the Trump administration largely dismantling it, according to Becca Heller, executive director of the International Refugee Assistance Project.

Article continues after sponsor message

"The point is not to hit 125,000 — the point is to signal both to the rest of the world and also to the domestic population in our own government that this is a priority again," Heller says. "It's less relevant if we hit the exact number and more relevant that we say, 'Admitting refugees is really important. We are going to aim at this high number and invest in infrastructure and get as close as we can.' "

Here's a look at some of the main challenges ahead for the Biden presidency as it seeks to roll back the sweeping changes to the refugee program.

Budget cuts have gutted the infrastructure for resettling refugees

Nine religious or community-based organizations known as resettlement agencies have contracts with the State Department to resettle refugees.

The agencies' budgets are based on the number of refugees admitted. Low admission levels reduced government funding, which decimated programs supporting newly arrived refugees. After the State Department told them to pare their operations, many agencies had to shutter or scale back offices and lay off workers.

"We're looking at a very big ramp-up because over the last four years, there's been an 85% cut and an effective demolition of the refugee resettlement program," says David Miliband, president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, the largest of the nine resettlement agencies.

The backlog is huge

More than 120,000 refugees are in the pipeline, passing rigorous security and medical checks, waiting in line, sometimes for years. In addition, thousands of Iraqis who worked for the U.S. military and are now at risk are waiting too. In 2020, there were 4,000 slots for Iraqis who aided the U.S. military, but only 123 were resettled.

Those seeking refuge in the U.S. have to submit to interviews with immigration officers and security officers. In Iraq, interviews slowed to a trickle last year with the withdrawal of nonessential employees from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

Refugees are scrutinized more thoroughly than any group that comes to the U.S.

The Trump administration added new "extreme vetting" requirements, and that is swelling the backlog of applicants, says Heller, of IRAP.

"Extreme vetting is really inefficient. It's not better vetting by redundancies that are unnecessary or busy work for the intelligence community," Heller says. The new vetting rules were kept secret until IRAP sued to force a disclosure.

"Now, you have to be able to provide every address you've lived at for the last 15 years and every passport number you had for the last 15 years, every social media handle that you've had for the last 15 years," says Heller. "There's no indication that it does anything for anybody's safety."

A divided Congress has to set the budget for refugee resettlement amid a pandemic

The Refugee Act of 1980 established the mechanism for resettlement, including the president's annual determination on refugee arrivals and a provision for consultations with Congress that sets the annual budget for the resettlement program.

That's the way it's supposed to work — but the Trump administration consistently ignored the provision to confer with lawmakers, according to refugee advocates.

So far, the election has produced a divided Congress. Members may not have the appetite to take on immigration policy amid the coronavirus pandemic and an economic recession, says Muzaffar Chishti of the Migration Policy Institute. The Biden administration will also be consumed by the COVID-19 crisis.

"For the first 100 days, there will be very little bandwidth for a Biden administration to deal with anything other than COVID. We have never faced a crisis like this before," Chishti says. "We can't expect a huge leap on immigration policy. If people expect that this is going to happen tomorrow, they will be in for a big disappointment."

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