On June 14, 2021, the Biden Administration announced a new policy intended to ease the tremendous harm of the immigration backlog on immigrant survivors of serious crime. The policy, which specifically affects immigrant survivors eligible for the U Visa, will authorize survivors to work while their applications await final approval. “We’re hopeful that the Administration’s announcement will […]
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Dallas Judge’s Grant Rates Lower Than National Average
Dallas Judges Rarely Grant Asylum A recent review of asylum decisions reveals that the grant rates for Dallas immigration judges in asylum cases is much lower than that for many other cities and the national average. And the rate has been trending down over the past few years. According to the most recent report from […]
Read MoreAsylum Backlogs Wreak Havoc with Our Clients’ Lives, Parts 1 & 2
Check out Christine Mansour’s featured AILA piece discussing the impact of the asylum backlog on HRI clients. http://www.ailaleadershipblog.org/2016/12/13/asylum-backlogs-wreak-havoc-with-our-clients-lives-part-1/ http://www.ailaleadershipblog.org/2016/12/14/asylum-backlogs-wreak-havoc-with-our-clients-lives-part-2/
Read MoreHuman Rights Groups Release Statement of Eligibility Requirements for Top Administration Officials
Washington, D.C.—As President-elect Trump continues to announce his selections for top positions in the new administration, 21 of the nation’s largest human rights and faith organizations today released a joint statement of principles regarding the eligibility of nominees for Senate-confirmed positions. Today’s statement outlines key requirements of top administration officials that should be evaluated by the Senate […]
Read MoreThe Heart of Darkness
October 28, 2016 the Congo When Francis Ford Coppola wanted to write a nightmarish screenplay about the war in Vietnam, he looked for inspiration in Joseph Conrad’s novel, Heart of Darkness. The novel is based on Conrad’s early 20th century experience exploring the Congo. It paints a bleak picture of this beautiful area of […]
Read MoreThese Are Times That Try Men
“These are times that try men’s souls.” -Thomas Paine Those words were penned by Thomas Paine during the American Revolution. There are eras where people’s characters are tested and this seems to be one of those times. When you look back at history, you see many examples of people who went against […]
Read MoreOn the Wrong Side of History
HRI condemns yesterday’s decision by Governor Greg Abbott that Texas is withdrawing from the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program as of October 1, 2016. This does not mean that Texas will no longer resettle refugees, just that Texas will not administer the program that coordinates their resettlement and the limited but crucial social and support services […]
Read MoreImmigration Reform from the House of Representatives
Yesterday, House Democrats introduced a comprehensive immigration reform bill that would grant legal status to nearly eight million undocumented immigrants in the United States. The proposed bill is based on an earlier bill that passed in the Senate in June. The Senate bill, which passed by a vote of 68-32, would have granted legal status to […]
Read MoreImmigration & Notario Fraud in Texas
Recently, the Attorney General’s office has shut down a number of “notario” operations in South Texas who have fraudulently been giving legal assistance to immigrants. Notarios are problematic in the United States due to cultural and linguistic barriers. The term “notario publico” literally translates to “notary public,” which in the U.S. only notarizes official documents. Elsewhere […]
Read MoreHuman Rights Day 2012: My Voice Counts
Today, December 10th, is Human Rights Day. This day celebrates and honors the day the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. The UDHR has been translated, disseminated and collected in more than 380 languages and dialects, according to the UN. This year’s theme is Inclusion and […]
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