Resources

Support Asylum Seekers

Asylum seekers are refugees.  The difference is simply geography: they have been able to physically arrive in the United States before requesting legal relief.  They must meet the international law definition of a “refugee.”  They may apply for asylum affirmatively or defensively.  Those arriving at the Southern Border will most often seek to encounter the Border Patrol to express fear of persecution in their home country.  Most are detained until released on bond or parole (if an adult) or to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, who locates and vets a sponsor (if an unaccompanied child).

At the moment, the greatest needs are 1) to assist and support efforts and organizations on the border who handle these detention matters, and 2) to provide long term support for legal services so that one may see their legal case to its final conclusion (which currently takes years). 

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While some may find this area controversial, here are some thoughts to consider:

• Did you know that there is no right to legal counsel for asylum seekers?  In a 2016 study by the American Immigration Council, data revealed that only 37% of all immigrants and 14% of detained immigrants “go to court with lawyers on their side.”  Detained immigrants are twice as likely to succeed with an attorney as those without one. 

• Did you know that unaccompanied children also do not have a right to legal counsel either?  Can you imagine your child appearing in court without an attorney, much less an adult, by their side for anything?  (There has been litigation on this issue, and the government has repeatedly argued that unaccompanied children do not need attorneys.)  Syracuse University data found that 73% of these children were allowed to stay in the U.S. when they had an attorney (only 15% stayed when they did not have an attorney).

• Did you know that 83% of asylees show up for and follow through with their immigration court hearings?  Contrary to news outlet claims, data supports that asylum seekers will show up when released from detention.

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This article and another here contain a list of organizations along the border and elsewhere to support and with which to volunteer (still valid though dated).  If you are an attorney, mental healthcare provider, interpreter or translator, or have lots of patience and time with which to make phone calls, please consider these opportunities with the Immigrant Justice Campaign.

Assist those in Detention

There are multiple government agencies that detain immigrants in the U.S. at enormous expense.  For years, the U.S. immigration system had a mandatory “quota” for the number of detainees on a given day.  Despite the Covid-19 global pandemic, immigration detention continues.

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When an immigrant is taken into detention, it may take days for them to be located.  The government typically moves immigrants quickly and without warning throughout federal and immigration detention facilities.  One may search the ICE Locator online, but imagine what you would do and feel if your parent, child, friend, or employee “disappeared,” you could not call or text them, and you had no idea where they were.  Meanwhile, this report discusses how immigrants are statistically less likely to commit crimes than the native-born while there has been a trend towards the criminalization of the immigration system over the past 25 years.

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Once in detention, the most important step is to find an attorney with experience in immigration detention, bond, and court cases.  However, this is easier said than done because there is no right to counsel in immigration cases (despite detention in incarceration-like facilities), which means that detainees and their families usually must retain private counsel.  Often, local counsel is best because they know their particular system and its intricacies.  However, note that most immigration detainees are held (ironically?) in remote, sparsely populated areas, which require attorneys and families to drive hours just for one short visit.

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Finally, if and when one obtains a bond – if even eligible to be released from immigration custody, that amount may be very high – as much as $5,000-$25,000 – and differ based on geography.  Immigration bonds are often set at amounts that exceed ability to pay.  There are organizations that serve as bond fund “pools” to assist including Freedom For Immigrants, the Immigrant Bail Fund, the Fair Fight Bond Fund, and the Bay Area Immigration Bond Fund. 

Advocate for Immigrants, Refugees, & Asylum Seekers

Disciples Refugee and Immigration Ministries equips Disciples to respond to Jesus’ call to welcome the stranger through refugee resettlement, ministering with immigrants, and advocacy. Please subscribe to “RIM WRAP” for frequent email newsletters on action alerts and opportunities to stand up for immigrants, refugees, and asylees.

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Additionally, the U.S. immigration system is badly broken, so there are ample opportunities for advocacy.  Remember that immigrants are unable to vote until they become citizens, so they are unable to determine the political leaders who may completely define the arc of how and when they can live with their family, work, return home, or simply live free.  There are always opportunities to speak up and out at the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)’s Advocacy and Media Center.

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You might also consider joining the Interfaith Immigration Coalition for a strong and vibrant faith-based community that is standing up and speaking out for immigrants, refugees, and asylees every day. 

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Finally, never stop learning!  Here are some suggestions:

• Book lists from NYU Press and LA Times

• Film Lists from Re-Imagining Migration and Immigration in the Movies

• More to come…