Emergency Asylum Application Campaign
December 11, 2024
Last year, “Rafael,” a hairdresser, was forced to flee his native Guatemala after years of sexual and physical violence on account of his sexual orientation and HIV status, including a gang assault where he was shot in the shoulder while the assailants screamed anti-gay epithets.
He asked for ALRP’s help two weeks ago, just days before the one-year deadline for filing an asylum petition would expire. Our staff stepped in to help, including getting him an emergency hotel voucher, an email address, and most importantly, filing the asylum application just in the nick of time. He will now be able to apply for a work permit in five months and not subject to deportation until his case his heard, at which time we’re sure he’ll be granted asylum.
There are hundreds of HIV+ undocumented people just like Rafael who need help, right now.
Image: ALRP Immigration Attorney Slater Stanley
The incoming federal administration has promised to declare a national emergency and use the U.S. military to carry out the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants and make the asylum process even more difficult. This will likely mean that immigrants—like Rafael—who have come to the U.S. to escape violence and persecution because of their HIV status and/or their sexual orientation or gender identity will no longer be eligible to apply for asylum and, instead, be swept up in mass deportations.
For these terrifying reasons, it is crucial that individuals who are eligible under the current guidelines apply for asylum before January 20. ALRP is launching a campaign to help make that happen.
How this will work: Through our partner organizations and in-person outreach at various events, we are letting HIV+ undocumented people know that we want to help. Those who come forward will be scheduled to meet with seasoned immigration attorneys to go over the facts of their cases and assess whether they are good candidates for asylum. If they are, they will be quickly matched with members of our volunteer Panel and other attorneys in private practice or at large firms who have volunteered to give their time in this emergency. Then, the attorneys will work with their new clients to complete and file asylum applications by January 20. (We’re hosting an MCLE-eligible training on December 19 for attorneys interested in helping, featuring a nationally recognized expert in this area, Rachel Kafele, the Director of Programs and Advocacy at Oasis Legal Services.)
You can help by putting the word out and enlisting friends and colleagues who are attorneys to step forward at this critical time, including attending the December 19 training. If you have any questions, visit https://www.alrp.org/asylum or contact Jake Creecy (jakec@alrp.org).
We’re investing $25,000 to make this campaign a reality, an expense that wasn’t in our budget. If you would like to help defray some of these costs, you can donate at https://www.alrp.org/donate.