Asylum and Refuge

Individuals who are unable or unwilling to return to their home countries because they fear that they would be harmed on account of their race, religion, nationality (ethnicity), political opinion, or membership in a particular social group may apply for political asylum. Asylum seekers may apply for asylum affirmatively to the regional Asylum Office in Arlington, Virginia, or, if known to the INS, may seek asylum in removal proceedings in Immigration Court. Individuals generally must apply within the first year after their arrival in the U.S., although limited exceptions to this rule do exist. The Project provides pro bono representation to individuals applying for political asylum in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area.

Persons who are granted political asylum are eligible to adjust their status to permanent residency after one year of physical presence in the United States. The Project also provides assistance to asylees seeking to adjust their status and has prepared an information sheet on the asylum adjustment process for use by volunteer attorneys and asylees.

A growing concern of both immigration advocates and asylees is the backlog of asylee adjustment applications awaiting processing at the INS's Nebraska Service Center. As of July 1, 2000, approximately 37,000 applications are pending. Since only 10,000 asylees slots are legally authorized each year, asylees who file now will face a four-year wait to receive permanent residence status.

The Project also helps asylees with the procedures for bringing their spouses and children to the United States, for obtaining refugee travel documents, and for qualifying for refugee resettlement program benefits. Effective June 15, 2000, the United States government is offering cash assistance and Medicaid medical insurance to asylees during the first eight months after they receive their final approval for asylum. To obtain assistance, asylees must contact the social services office in the county where they reside in order to obtain processing information. Asylees will need to submit a copy of their asylum approval. It is suggested that asylees also take a copy of the office of Refugee Resettlement State Letter #00-12 explaining the program.

Discrimination against Newcomers

The Project maintains a program to assist immigrants who have suffered discrimination in employment, housing, and other areas. The program seeks to educate newcomers on their rights under current civil rights laws and to encourage those who have suffered discrimination to come forward with their cases. The Project offers pro bono legal representation in meritorious cases. 

Newcomers, like others, have the right not to be discriminated against on the basis of national origin, race, sex, age, ethnic group, or any physical disability. Immigrant workers with work authorization also have the right not to be discriminated against based on their immigrant status.

The Project operates a bilingual hotline for Spanish speaking callers who believe they have suffered discrimination: 

(202)319-1011, ext. 222 

If you believe that you have suffered discrimination on account of your nationality when you have tried to get a job, rent an apartment, buy a home, or obtain a mortgage to buy a home, the law provides you with a remedy. Exercise your rights. Please complete the intake questionnaire online or print the questionnaire, complete it, and mail it to: Washington Lawyers' Committee, 11 Dupont Circle NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20036, Attn: Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project. Or e-mail the Project at immigrant@washlaw.org or call (202) 319-1011, ext. 222 (Spanish) or (202) 319-1000 ext. 120.

Citizenship 

The Project provides up-to-date information on the naturalization process and will provide assistance to individuals who are facing obstacles in applying for citizenship because of physical or mental disability or lack of financial resources. The Project also co-sponsors a number of citizenship workshops each year. At the workshops, volunteers help applicants to complete fully the appropriate forms and to prepare the full packet of documents and photographs that will be required for submission to INS.

The INS provides some waivers of the educational requirements depending on disabilities, age, and length of residence in the U.S., and is required to provide reasonable accommodation to persons with disabilities for the citizenship interview and test. 

The INS Customer Service Line (1-800-375-5283) provides information in English and Spanish. Select the benefits envelope (#4) and then the naturalization envelope (#1). Order the general application form (N-400) and Naturalization Guide (M-476) at 1-800-870-3676. Information including the guide is also available on the INS Web site.

For further information call the Project at (202) 319-1000, ext. 120.
TDD, call (202) 319-1075. Announcements of upcoming citizenship workshops are in the News. 

Policy Advocacy 

The Project engages in advocacy for fair and just immigration laws and policies by conducting liaison activities with the INS, submitting comments on proposed regulations, and carrying out legislative work with the U.S. Congress. For example, the Project submitted, on May 1, 2000, comments on proposed Department of Agriculture regulations that will regulate immigrant accessibility to the Food Stamp Program. We have also provided our support to the legislative efforts directed at reversing some of the most negative provisions of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, which severely restricted the rights of asylum seekers and other immigrants. 

Political Asylum Training 

In 1978, the Project began training area attorneys to provide pro bono representation to individuals in deportation proceedings or facing civil rights violations related to their national origin or non-citizen status. The training, provided initially to several hundred lawyers, has evolved into a regular component of the Project's program and today focuses primarily on political asylum issues. Over the years, more than 2,000 area attorneys and paralegals have participated in the training sessions, including an intensive forty-hour training of paralegals to be accredited by the INS, and have subsequently provided representation to Project clients. 

For a number of years, the Project has coordinated comprehensive political asylum training under the auspices of the D.C. Bar Public Service Activities Corporation, including training on asylum and suspension of deportation/cancellation of removal under Section 203 of the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act (NACARA). A 500-page training manual is available for pro bono attorneys. The Committee and the Capital Area Immigrants' Rights (CAIR) Coalition will co-chair the next session, again working in cooperation with the D.C. Bar. Announcements of upcoming asylum training are in the News.

For more information on asylum training or training materials, e-mail immigrant@washlaw.org or call the Project at 202 319-1000, ext. 120.