The Golden Door: September 2021

 

Legal and Policy Issues

We are closely monitoring state and federal immigration law and policy. Please check our social media accounts for more frequent updates.


ILAP Collaborating to Support Afghan Families

Over the last six weeks, ILAP has been working with partners Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition (MIRC), Catholic Charities Maine, University of Maine School of Law’s Refugee and Human Rights Clinic, and members of Maine's Afghan community to help get their loved ones to safety. We are currently triaging more than 100 cases, many of them for humanitarian parole, and placing them with staff or pro bono attorneys. 

Maine is also gearing up to welcome up to 100 Afghan evacuees to our communities in the coming months. These families will need to apply for asylum to remain in the U.S. permanently and ILAP is at the ready to support their legal needs. 

We are excited to announce that we have hired local attorney Catherine Lindgren to spearhead ILAP's Afghan response over the next 6 months. This increased capacity will allow us to support families in their pursuit of safety through asylum, humanitarian parole, and other legal pathways. 

If you are interested in joining these efforts, there are a number of ways to get involved: 

These are just a few of the many efforts being organized around the state to support Afghan families. We encourage you to check out and support other initiatives happening in your own communities!

Maine families with loved ones in Afghanistan can email ILAP at info@ilapmaine.org (with “Afghanistan” in the subject line) or call (207) 699-4415 (be sure to mention Afghanistan if you leave a message) to get a consult with an attorney.

Visit https://ilapmaine.org/afghanistan for more resources.

CALL TO ACTION: Tell Maine’s Congressional Delegation To Pass Pathways To Citizenship Now!

This month, the Senate parliamentarian - an unelected Senate staff attorney - issued two rulings saying that pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants cannot be included as part of the budget reconciliation package. Budget reconciliation is a process used in the Senate to avoid the Senate filibuster and pass legislation with a simple majority.

Most Americans, across the political spectrum, support a pathway to citizenship for undocumented people in the United States. Our immigrant friends, colleagues, and neighbors have been waiting decades for meaningful immigration reform. It is unconscionable for so many families to have to check the news every day to see if their status makes them targets for family separation. These families need permanent protections, and they need them now.

ILAP is deeply disappointed in the Senate parliamentarian’s rulings. These decisions are wrong – reconciliation is appropriate when a bill impacts federal spending or revenue. Adding pathways to citizenship would make the United States over a trillion dollars over the next ten years. There is even precedent, as the Senate has included immigration provisions in the past. This is a setback, but not the end of this process.

Our elected representatives must do everything in their power to ensure the inclusion of pathways to citizenship this year. This is the year, and we will keep fighting.

Hear from Ilma Lopez, a small-business owner and an immigrant mother about why this legislation is so important and read ILAP Board member Andi Summers' Letter to the Editor about its importance for Dreamers.

Call Maine’s Congressional Delegation today to tell them you demand citizenship NOW:

📞 Sen. Susan Collins: (202) 224-2523
📞 Sen. Angus King: (202) 224-5344
📞 Rep. Chellie Pingree: (202) 225-6116
📞 Rep. Jared Golden: (202) 225-6306

If you live outside of Maine, you can find your representatives here.

Biden Administration Must End Title 42

The Biden administration has cruelly expelled nearly 4,000 people to Haiti in just nine days, some of whom have not been in Haiti in years. Haitian officials are telling the U.S. that they do not have the resources to handle thousands of arrivals and are imploring the U.S. to NOT deport Haitians.

A Trump-era policy, Title 42, allows the government to expel asylum seekers without considering their claims, and the Biden administration is continuing that inhumane policy that violates U.S. and international law.

The deportations to Haiti are particularly shocking because the U.S. government recently redesignated Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) due to violence, political upheaval, and the most recent earthquake. We call on the Biden Administration to immediately stop this anti-Black policy, end the use of Title 42, and welcome families with dignity.

Department of Homeland Security Proposes DACA Rule

Earlier this summer, a Texas federal judge ruled that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program is unlawful, and blocked the government from granting initial applications to the program. DACA is a program started in 2012 giving certain undocumented youth who came to the United States as children temporary permission to stay in the U.S. The Trump administration attempted to end DACA in 2017 but courts have prevented the termination from taking place.

As a response, the Biden administration has proposed a new DACA rule they argue would serve to “preserve and fortify” the DACA program. Unfortunately, the proposed rule does not expand eligibility for the program and would separate DACA work authorization from protection from deportation. By separating the two benefits of DACA, the rule anticipates a court potentially blocking DACA recipients from obtaining a work permit in the future.

Remember, this is just a proposed rule and is NOT in effect.

Make your voices heard! Tell the Biden administration that this is not enough, and that the government must better protect DACA recipients.

The Home is Here campaign has set up a portal through which you can submit a comment:

ILAP's Haitian TPS Information Session: Recording Available


ILAP hosted an info session last month for service providers and community organization about Haitian Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The recording is now available here on our Facebook page.

You can also find more information about applying or re-applying for Haitian TPS in English and Haitian Creole on our website.

ILAP Welcomes New Board President

Please join us in welcoming Alicia Curtis, Esq. as ILAP’s incoming Board President! Alicia has been an active member of the ILAP Board since 2018 and has been instrumental in growing our Lewiston office. As a member of our Pro Bono Panel, she has also joined with her colleagues at Berman & Simmons to represent several clients in their asylum cases, including a years-long political opinion case for a family from Burundi that culminated in a well-earned victory in immigration court.

Alicia (right) and her colleague from Berman & Simmons celebrate a grant of asylum with their clients in the halls of Boston Immigration Court (photo taken before the Covid-19 pandemic).

Alicia (right) and her colleague from Berman & Simmons celebrate a grant of asylum with their clients in the halls of Boston Immigration Court (photo taken before the Covid-19 pandemic).

We also share a heartfelt thank you to outgoing Board President Leslie Silverstein, Esq. Leslie has provided steadfast leadership to the organization since 2016, during some of the most difficult years in immigration law. She is also a member of ILAP’s Pro Bono Panel and a private immigration attorney – her commitment to advancing justice for Maine’s immigrant communities is truly unmatched. Thank you for everything, Leslie. We are grateful to still have your energy and expertise on the Board!

ILAP Publishes 2020 Annual Report

We are excited to share the latest ILAP Annual Report with you!

The past year and a half has been filled with a lot of uncertainty, but through it all, Maine's immigrant communities have been able to continue counting on ILAP for legal support.

Check out ILAP’s 2020 Annual Report to learn about the highlights and learnings of the past year, read a letter from ILAP's leaders, and see the collective impact of each gift, action, and hour donated!

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