Archive for August 2020
By Ahlam Moussa
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August 19, 2020
We stand with ASISTA member organization, Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, as they advocate for immigrant victims of sexual assault and harassment by guards at an ICE detention facility in El Paso. Laura Flores Bachman, Senior Legal Counsel with ASISTA, was quoted in this article about these heinous acts, “We believe sexual assaults in ICE facilities are crimes that are all too often unchecked given the deep vulnerability and isolation of detained immigrant women. We are hopeful that both local and federal officials will conduct a thorough investigation into these serious allegations and put an end to victims’ unabated suffering in the shadows of ICE detention.” See article here
By Admin
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August 15, 2020
On August 3, 2020, USCIS published the final fee rule which is set to go into effect on October 2, 2020. This new rule increases the fees for commonly used forms as well as limits the criteria for fee waivers. This advisory discusses the provisions of the rule most relevant to survivor-based forms of immigration relief and will be updated as advocacy efforts progress and more information becomes available.
By Ahlam Moussa
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August 15, 2020
ASISTA Policy Director Cecelia Friedman Levin weighing in, “We’re calling for a way that when these sorts of policy changes occur, that people are informed [and that] any changes in these processes don’t impact due process”. See article here.
By Maria Lazzarino
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August 14, 2020
In an effort to help our members avoid filing rejections for work authorization applications, we want to make sure everyone is aware of the upcoming changes to the I-765 and I-765WS forms.
By Admin
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August 14, 2020
On August 13, 2020, ASISTA together with the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) , Freedom Network USA and the Tahirih Justice Center joined over 140 national, state, and local organizations called on USCIS to stop its harmful policy of rejecting applications for blank fields on forms. Currently, this policy applies to asylum seekers, as well as U and T visa applicants, all forms of relief for vulnerable populations. We call on USCIS to end this harmful policy that causes needless barriers for applicants, the advocates who serve them, as well as U visa certifying agencies.
By Ahlam Moussa
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August 7, 2020
ASISTA Policy Director Cecelia Friedman Levin weighs in on this harmful processing policy and how USCIS is egregiously limiting immigration relief for vulnerable applicants through needless red tape. See article here
Recent Posts
By Maria Lazzarino
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April 28, 2026
This Practice Pointer synthesizes current recommendations for using USCIS customer service options for survivor-based relief applications. It also discusses how to supplement pending survivor-based petitions via mail, with the hotlines as a backup paper trail. As noted throughout, the information is accurate up to the publication date, but should always be cross-checked with information on USCIS’s website and Policy Manual for the most up-to-date government provisos. This project was supported by Grant No. 15JOVW-23-GK-05161-MUMU awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.
By Maria Lazzarino
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April 28, 2026
On December 22, 2025, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) released an update to its Policy Manual relating to confidentiality protections located at 8 USC § 1367 (“1367 protections”). This Policy Alert will review the changes introduced by the policy update and provide initial guidance to practitioners filing cases affected by them. ASISTA will provide further guidance through training and written resources as warranted, and members are encouraged to request technical assistance for any individual case questions.
By Maria Lazzarino
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April 24, 2026
ASISTA is aware that the USCIS “Contact Us” page does not include information about which hotline address should be contacted for U cases with receipt numbers that start with IOE. After reaching out to USCIS, until the Contact Us page is updated to reflect their “final determination,” practitioners inquiring about U cases with receipt numbers starting with IOE should reach out to the VSC 918/914 hotline. See this Practice Alert for more information.
By Maria Lazzarino
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December 12, 2025
This Practice Alert summarizes USCIS’s new extreme vetting policies, including broad adjudication holds, re-review of previously approved cases, and heightened discretionary scrutiny, and explains their serious implications for immigrant survivors seeking safety and stability. It also provides practical guidance for practitioners on preparing clients for the impact of these measures and on developing case strategies and potential legal challenges.
By Maria Lazzarino
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December 12, 2025
On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed HR-1, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA), which significantly impacts immigrant survivors of human trafficking. The law imposes new filing fees for immigration benefits, motions, and appeals before USCIS and EOIR, establishes additional financial penalties for certain immigration violations, and eliminates eligibility for a range of federal public benefits for many immigrants who were previously considered “qualified,” including trafficking survivors. This Practice Alert reviews these fee and penalty changes, explains the new restrictions on public benefits, and outlines the impact on trafficking survivors seeking T visas and other forms of humanitarian relief, offering guidance for practitioners on how to mitigate the law’s potential harms.