Asylum
Asylum grants legal protection to foreign nationals already in the U.S. or arriving at the border who can’t go back to their home country because of persecution. Learn more about the asylum system in the United States, including how asylum is defined, eligibility requirements, and the difficult and complex application process.
Asylum in the United States
- Asylum
- May 9, 2025
Asylum seekers must navigate a difficult and complex process that can involve multiple government agencies. This fact sheet provides an overview of…
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White House Leans Into Trump-Era Immigration Policy Changes to Get Ukraine Aid
The Biden administration signaled on December 12 that it is willing to make disastrous—and permanent—changes to asylum and immigration policy to obtain temporary military aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. Top White House officials reportedly met with some of the key Senate negotiators, Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), Sen. Chris… Read More
What We Know About the Senate Negotiations That Could Wreck Asylum in the US
Members of the U.S. Senate are currently negotiating a deal to continue funding the federal government next year, as well as providing military aid to Ukraine But the cost could be the federal government’s ability to provide humanitarian protection to migrants in need. According to public reporting, Senate negotiators are… Read More
Inhumane Immigration Practices Require Transformative Solutions Now
Inhumane practices. Open-air detention sites. Family separations. Long term community support needs. The entire country is contending with a system ill-equipped to welcome large asylum-seeking populations with dignity. With critical needs at our border, immigration experts are providing tangible solutions, including increased Port of Entry infrastructure and a compassionate asylum system… Read More
Family Expedited Removal Management (FERM) Program
These Freedom of Information Act requests seek to uncover information about the FERM program, which places families enrolled on a fast track to deportations if they don’t pass credible fear interviews. Read More
Labor Shortage Can Be Fixed by Letting Asylum Seekers Get Work Permits Sooner, Business Leaders Say
When asylum seekers come to the United States, they want to work—but an outdated immigration statute is making that more difficult than it needs to be. After filing an asylum application, asylum seekers must wait an agonizing six months before they can receive a work permit. This makes their already… Read More
More than 100 Business Organizations Sign onto Council Letter Urging Congress to Reduce the Waiting Period for Asylum Seekers to Obtain Work Permits
For Immediate Release WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2023—Today, the … Read More
Court Hears Challenge to Asylum Turnback
On October 13, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California will hear arguments in Al Otro Lado and Haitian Bridge Alliance v. Mayorkas, a federal lawsuit challenging the Biden administration’s unlawful policy of turning back people seeking asylum without a CBP One appointment. Read More
American Immigration Council Applauds TPS Re-Designation for Venezuelans, Granting Much-Needed Relief and Work Authorization
The Council responds to the Biden Administration's announcement that it will be extending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans who arrived in the United States before July 31, 2023. Read More
American Immigration Council leads coalition letter to DHS requesting transparency into Family Expedited Removal Program
The American Immigration Council joined 45 other organizations in calling on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to provide more transparency into the Family Expedited Removal Program (FERM). The letter calls for DHS to: Publish and maintain… Read More
CBP’s Continued ‘Turnbacks’ Are Sending Asylum Seekers Back to Lethal Danger
On April 8, a family came to the San Ysidro port of entry in Tijuana and asked to be let into the United States to seek asylum. The husband’s arm was bleeding. He’d been shot. The cartel that had driven him and his family from Jalisco the previous fall, when… Read More
America's story is an immigrant story.
