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MIGRANT CENTER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
Providing Free and Low-Cost Legal Services to
Detained Asylum Seekers in Texas
 
Learn About Our Work

DAVID WOULD LIKE TO TELL YOU HIS STORY
 
When immigration took me to the airport I was happy and excited I was going to see my family. I thanked God that I’m going to see them. My son was born when I was in detention; I wasn’t given bond yet when he was born. When I was separated from my family it was a very hard thing for me, emotional pain you know. I’d been in detention almost three months, crying all the time, not knowing what was happening.

On the plane I had two masks on. To protect my son, that’s the reason I had two masks on.

When I got off the plane, wow, that was the very happiest day in my life to be able to see my son and my wife.

For now what I experience is that the country is very good. I’ve been to the Columbus zoo, it was a nice zoo; I went downtown with my wife with the Refugee Task Force; I took the bus to just go to some places like Walmart. In my home we don’t have Walmarts, I like it.

We had a snow and it’s supposed to snow again today. We’d never seen snow before. 

Wow, it was beautiful, we even took pictures in the snow. God is wonderful. Columbus is very beautiful with lots of trees and the city is very beautiful.

Having a new life here in the U.S. is something that makes me happy. I had a fear; I can’t go back to my country. We thank God today. We are very grateful to meet all those people in our lives who have helped us.

Continue reading David's Story here.

LAST CHANCE TO PARTICIPATE

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SURVEY CLOSES SUNDAY DECEMBER 27TH
The Migrant Center's Community Engagement Program seeks to increase awareness of important immigration issues, helping you develop an in-depth understanding of the immigrant experience, especially that of the detained asylum seekers we serve.

The program also aims to inform you about our work and encourage you to join us in our 
mission of ensuring due process for all people going through our immigration court system, thereby upholding our country's constitutional principles of justice and equality.

We invite you to tell us how we can best serve you in this work.
Your invaluable insight will help us ensure that we are providing you with the most relevant news, events, analysis, and opportunities for action. We anticipate that this survey will take between 5-7 minutes to complete. Thank you for sharing your feedback!
 

Let the Administration Know We Haven't Given Up the Fight for Immigrants' Rights
By participating in the democratic Notice and Comment process, you will help the Administration will understand how we believe our government can best represent our values through regulation. Don't wait! See below for tips on how to write a public comment. Please also tell your friends, family, colleagues, and community groups to join us in standing up for justice.
The more comments sent, the longer the Trump Administration's review will take, possibly pushing any final decision until after the January 20 inauguration, when the new Biden Administration can halt them. If these proposed rules becomes final regulations before then, the Administrative Procedures Act will require a new lengthy Notice and Comment process to make any changes, during which time many immigrants will be impacted.
 
EOIR Limits Judicial Right to Motions to Reopen and Stays

December 4 - EOIR issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that limits access to stays of removal and makes it harder for a motion to reopen or reconsider to be granted. Read the Migrant Center's analysis, listen to our podcast below, and submit your public comment before 11:59pm EST on December 28, 2021.
Hear from Immigration Attorney Sara Ramey on how the Proposed Rule will affect access to justice in the U.S. legal system.

EOIR Limits Ability to Get Continuances
 
November 27 - EOIR published a proposed rule titled “Good Cause for a Continuance in Immigration Proceedings”. Stay tuned for the Migrant Center's analysis. Some of the primary aspects of the rule include:
  • Define and codify the “good cause” standard via five non-exhaustive factors,
  • State three situations that may not qualify as “good cause,”
  • Narrow continuance opportunities to those seeking collateral immigration applications before USCIS, and
  • Overall limit the authority of Immigration Judges to grant continuances.
The rule is open for public comment until December 28, 11:59 EST.
 

DOS Changes Refugee Biographic Data Collection
 
December 8 - The Department of State published a Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Refugee Biographic Data. This proposed change is open for public comment until February 8, 11:59 EST.
 
Proposed Rule on Electronic Filing and Accompaniment Procedures

December 4 - EOIR issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to implement electronic filing and records applications for all cases before the immigration courts and the Board of Immigration Appeals. The proposed rule would also make changes to the regulations regarding law student filing and accompaniment procedures. Submit your public comment by 11:59 EST on January 4, 2021.


HOW TO SUBMIT A PUBLIC COMMENT
DON'T MISS YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO ADVOCATE FOR JUSTICE
 
Under the Administrative Procedures Act, the Administration must give the public, including those who may potentially be affected by a proposed legal change, the opportunity to comment on any new regulation that is being considered, and must take into account all comments provided that raise a “material” issue. 8 U.S.C. § 553(c); Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., 435 U.S. 519, 553–54 (1978).

When you prepare your public comment we encourage you to personalize your comment because each discrete comment must be considered independently, which extends the review of a proposed change. Administrative agencies detect duplicate comments and will not evaluate your contribution if it is not clearly personalized. Additionally, comments must be specific enough to provide the agency with meaningful notice of the issue(s) you are seeking to raise, and in order for any subsequent litigation to happen on that issue if the agency does not fully take it into account. U.S. Dep't of Transp. v. Public Citizen, 541 U.S. 752, 764 (2004). For these reasons, it is critical that you do NOT merely copy and submit a template. We also strongly encourage you to explain how the Proposed Rule would affect you should it become law, such as how living in a country that has a fair judicial process is important to you.
 
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We work to ensure that all immigrants facing removal from the U.S. understand their rights under the law, know how to navigate the immigration process, have access to legal services, and are treated fairly and humanely.

Stay up to date on the latest news by liking our Facebook Page or visiting us at https://migrantcenter.org

https://www.facebook.com/migrantctr/
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P.O. BOX 90382 San Antonio, TX 78209
Phone: 210-802-6061

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