Important Information for Asylum Seekers in Maine
Mendez Rojas settlement: information for asylum seekers
Did you enter the U.S. on or after June 16, 2016?
If YES:
A national court decision called Mendez Rojas may help you if you meet certain requirements. The Mendez Rojas decision offers a way to get your asylum application correctly filed with the Immigration Court. This decision may apply to people who:
Already sent their asylum application to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and got a receipt, OR
Either United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) or the Immigration Court have rejected (sent back) their asylum application; OR
Were told they have to go to Immigration Court and given papers, but their case is not in the Court system yet, OR
Have been in the U.S. more than one year without applying for asylum, OR
Their request for asylum was already denied, at least in part because they filed it more than 1 year after entering the U.S.
If you entered the U.S. on or after June 16, 2016, AND you answer YES to the following 2 questions, please CONTACT ILAP to find out if the Mendez Rojas decision can help you with your case:
Did you come into contact with immigration authorities EITHER when you entered the U.S., or within 2 weeks of your entry into the U.S.? If YES:
Did you tell the immigration authorities that you are afraid to return to your country? If YES:
You may be eligible for help from ILAP to qualify as a Member of the Mendez Rojas settlement.
You MUST act no later than April 22, 2022.
Step 1: Gather ALL of the paperwork you have received from immigration officials at the border or since coming to Maine. Also gather everything you have sent to, or received from, the USCIS or the Immigration Court.
Step 2: Click here to contact ILAP. Ask for an “M-R consult.”