The Golden Door: May 2024
ILAP Condemns Biden’s Decision to Effectively Close the Border to Asylum Seekers
President Biden announced yesterday that his administration will be taking steps to effectively close the border to asylum seekers.
"President Biden’s latest attack on asylum seekers is extremist, deadly, and wholly illogical on a policy level,” said ILAP's Policy Director, Lisa Parisio. "We know, without question, that effectively shutting down the border and denying people their right to seek asylum under U.S. law does not stop them from needing or seeking safety and security."
ILAP calls on the administration to immediately reverse course, to pursue policies that respect and protect the lives of asylum seekers, and to focus resources on processes that uphold people’s legal rights and human dignity.
Representative Pingree Pens Must-Read Op-Ed on Why Congress Must Pass Her Bipartisan Work Permit Legislation
ILAP applauds Representative Pingree in her continued advocacy to advance her legislation that would allow asylum seekers to access work permits sooner and help keep them from facing gaps in work authorization due to government processing delays.
In a Portland Press Herald op-ed this month, Representative Pingree made clear: “This simple, commonsense change makes no alterations to the asylum process, but it would allow an asylum seeker to apply for work authorization as soon as their asylum claim is filed, putting them on the path to economic opportunity, filling critical job openings, and freeing up public resources.” Read the full op-ed here!
CALL TO ACTION:
Take action to support this crucial bipartisan legislation through the #LetAsylumSeekersWork campaign.
100 Years of Border Patrol ViolencE
Since 2010, at least 304 people have died in encounters with Border agents. As Border Patrol celebrated its 100th anniversary at the end of May, people directly impacted by its legacy of violence spoke out:
"I will continue to fight for dignity for all the mothers and fathers out there in border communities who are afraid their children won't come home to them at night, because we don't know if Border Patrol will decide to harass or torture our children because of the color of their skin," said Araceli Rodriguez. "We need the U.S. government to change its ways, because it was not necessary for a border agent to shoot and kill my son across the border.” Read the full press release here.
To mark the anniversary, the Southern Border Communities Coalition (SBCC) released a 100 year timeline, shining a spotlight on Border Patrol’s violence on the U.S.-Mexico border and a century of people fighting back for their human rights, lives, and dignity. Learn more and support SBCC's critical work here.
Calls for TPS for DRC Continue to Grow
ILAP is one of many voices calling for an immediate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). TPS for DRC would save lives, keep families together, build stronger communities, boost the U.S. economy, and promote a just foreign policy.
Human rights lawyer and researcher Daniel Levine-Spound authored a compelling case for an immediate designation for DRC in a recent edition of Just Security.
Maine Law Professors Publish Key Article On Changes Needed in Affirmative Asylum SystemMaine Law Professors Publish Key Article On Changes Needed in Affirmative Asylum System
In their new article, Dropping the Veil: How an Investigation into One Asylum Office Reveals Systemic Failures Within the U.S. Affirmative Asylum System, Maine Law professors Anna R. Welch & Sara P. Cressey, built off of a 2022 report co-authored by ILAP on the Boston Asylum Office.
In this new piece the authors take “a deeper dive into our study’s various findings to highlight systemic failures that are likely pervasive throughout the U.S. affirmative asylum system" and make a series of recommendations that would address the due process concerns identified in the study. Thank you for your groundbreaking work and advocacy, Professors Welch and Cressey!
We're Hiring!
Interested in joining ILAP's team? We are hiring a full-time Information Systems Specialist. This position works in collaboration with and coordinates ILAP’s IT management company to keep our technology environment in strong, stable, working order.
The salary ranges from $54,000 to $70,000, depending on experience and credentials. We will begin reviewing applications on June 30th and will continue until the position is filled.
We encourage you to apply or share with your networks!
ilap in the news
ILAP highlighted the harm of President Biden's plan to severely limit access to asylum on Maine Public.
Maine Public News Connect announced the opening of the Lowell Immigration Court in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, and per ILAP's recommendations, urged people with cases in immigration court to verify the location and details of their case on the court’s website. The broadcast is available in French, Spanish, Somali, Portuguese, and English.
Catch ILAP at this Year's Portland Pride!
ILAP's staff, Board, and volunteers are proud to be taking part in Portland's Pride Festival this year! You can catch us in the parade (hint, look for orange tie dye) and at the festival afterwards with fun swag, resources, and information about ILAP's services.
Portland's Parade starts at 1pm on Saturday, June 15th. We hope to see you there! You can also check out this year's Equality Maine's Pride Calendar for more Pride events across the state!
Photo courtesy of Pride! Portland.
Support ILAP by pledging #HalfMyDAF2024
Do you have a Donor Advised Fund (DAF)? If you make a grant to ILAP and commit to spending down half the money in your DAF, we will be eligible to receive matching funds!
The more donors who commit to #HalfMyDAF and give to ILAP, the greater our chances of receiving a match. All grants made by June 28 will be eligible for #HalfMyDAF’s first round of 2024 matches.
Learn more about making your support for ILAP’s mission go even further at www.halfmydaf.com/for-donors.
