Providence, R.I. — A coalition of immigrant service organizations and labor unions filed a lawsuit today challenging a series of sweeping new policies by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that have effectively shut down large portions of the legal immigration system for many people already living in the United States. The policies include a nationwide halt on asylum adjudications, an indefinite freeze on immigration benefit applications for people from countries subject to the Trump-Vance administration’s travel ban, a sweeping re-review of previously approved immigration benefits, and new guidance instructing immigration officials to weigh an applicant’s country of origin against them when deciding discretionary benefits.
Plaintiffs and co-counsel issued the following statements:
Plaintiffs
- Dorcas International
“At Dorcas International, we are witnessing firsthand the devastating impact that policy changes and the resulting uncertainty are having on the individuals and families we serve,” said Milagro Sique, CEO, Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island. “Regardless of circumstances, our clients – parents, children, workers, and neighbors who contribute to our communities every day – are now living in constant fear.”
- Refugee Dream Center
“This litigation is about the lives of thousands of individuals we serve, mostly refugees who were legally brought in by the US government only to be abandoned and targeted by the same government,” says Omar Bah, Founder and Director of Programs for the Refugee Dream Center. “We feel we have the moral duty to step up and stand for them in order to alleviate their current conditions, and we hope this lawsuit can end the anxiety, fear, loss, and misery these individuals have been going through.”
- Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
- African Communities Together (ACT)
“Across the country, immigrants are being pushed into legal limbo because of sweeping policies that shut down lawful pathways to protection and stability,” said Diana Konaté, Deputy Executive Director of Policy & Advocacy of African Communities Together. “Freezing asylum cases, blocking immigration benefits, and instructing officials to treat someone’s country of origin as a negative factor is discriminatory and unlawful. African Communities Together has joined this lawsuit because our communities deserve a fair immigration system that follows the law and treats all people with dignity.”
- Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts
“The Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts (VAM) expresses its deep concern about the serious impact that recent USCIS policies are having on our families, workers, and asylum seekers across the United States. These measures have created fear, instability, and uncertainty for thousands of people who only seek to live and work with dignity. We extend our heartfelt thanks to our partner organizations and the legal teams that have undertaken the enormous task of bringing this lawsuit in defense of our rights and the rights of all immigrant communities. Their courage, legal rigor, and human commitment are a beacon of hope in this difficult time. You, the attorneys who lead this and so many other efforts, will be remembered in the history now being written as those who dared to say no to injustice and to defend a fairer future for all,” said Carlos Martín Medina and Carlina Velázquez, Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts.
- Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans
The Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA) stands firm in its commitment to the immigration and human rights of refugees and displaced persons. We are seriously concerned about the instability these recent policies are having on the communities we serve. Whether it’s losing employment authorization, keeping families apart, or potentially losing lawfully obtained immigration status, our parents, siblings, friends, and neighbors are again being thrust into uncertainty. PANA is not naive in recognizing that these policies disproportionately impact black, brown, and MENA populations. The federal government’s actions are based on racist and xenophobic notions of what the composition of the United States should look like. We are better than this,” said Maria Chavez, Esq. Immigration Legal Director.
- American Gateways
“The people we serve came to this country seeking safety, dignity, and opportunity, and have spent years or decades waiting for the legal system to work as promised. These sweeping USCIS policies have upended their lives, threatening hard-won legal status and leaving families in limbo, unable to work or plan for the future. No administration should be allowed to rewrite the rules to exclude people based on where they were born,” said Edna Yang, co-Executive Director of American Gateways.
Co Counsel
- Democracy Forward
“Xenophobia dressed up as policy is still xenophobia – it’s wrong, un-American, and illegal,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. “Congress created a legal immigration system with clear rules and protections. These policies replace that system with sweeping, discriminatory, unlawful directives that will leave families in limbo, strip people of the ability to work and support their families and communities, and undermine fundamental principles of fairness and due process. We are honored to represent these organizations to challenge these unlawful policies and ensure the government follows the law.”
- Lawyers’ Committee for Rhode Island
“Because of these new discriminatory policies, thousands of people in Rhode Island now face the prospect of losing their ability to work and to provide for their families. People who have waited years to secure a green card may never be granted permanent legal status,” says Amy Romero, Chief Legal Counsel of Lawyers’ Committee for Rhode Island. “LCRI is proud to represent Dorcas International, Refugee Dream Center, and the organizations and unions across the country in our challenge to these harmful policies.”
- RAICES
“The Trump administration has systematically targeted and vilified immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees with policies rooted in fear-mongering, xenophobia, and violence – and targeting immigrants on the basis of country of origin is yet another example of how racism remains central to this administration’s agenda,” said Javier Hidalgo, Legal Director at RAICES. “At RAICES, we are deeply troubled by the strategic, intentional, and sustained attacks on our immigrant neighbors. We will continue to fight for just pathways for immigration, while advocating for our client community in court.”
- Muslim Advocates
“The Trump administration is once again following a familiar playbook: upend lives and sow chaos to advance an anti-immigrant and white supremacist agenda,” says Golnaz Fakhimi, Legal Director of Muslim Advocates. “In combination, the aim of these policies could not be clearer: gut access to as many immigration benefits available by law as possible to maximize punishment against entire communities based solely on their national origin and race. These policies revive the discriminatory logic of the first Muslim and African bans and now expand them widely to millions of community members within the interior. Together with the plaintiff immigrant justice organizations and labor unions, we are committed to fighting this assault on the diverse and pluralistic fabric of American society.”
- SAAJCO
“SAAJCO is proud to join other immigrant rights organizations to represent plaintiffs around the country serving underserved communities to challenge this latest set of USCIS discriminatory policies,” said Anisa Rahim, Legal Director of the South Asian American Justice Collaborative. “Because of these policies, asylum applications are at a standstill, work permits and other benefits are being halted for individuals from 39 countries under the misguided logic of the travel ban, and legal permanent residents are in the process of being revetted. For communities seeking safety or stability in the United States, these policies push families into uncertainty and undermine the fairness our immigration system is supposed to uphold.”
