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African Services Committee Joins in Filing of New ‘Public Charge’ Lawsuit Over Proposed Immigration Rule

‘Public Charge’ Rule Devastating to Immigrants and Families

New York, New York, Aug. 27, 2019: African Services Committee strongly condemns the administration’s “public charge” rule published Aug. 14, 2019 by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and stands in solidarity with immigrant families and allies across the country, as we fight the finalized rule’s expanded provisions scheduled for publication Oct. 15, 2019.

African Services Committee joined other non profit and advocacy organizations in a lawsuit filed Aug. 27 in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) seeking to block the Trump administration’s proposed “public charge” rule before it takes effect on October 15, 2019. The organizations, Make the Road New York, African Services Committee, Asian American Federation, Catholic Charities Community Services, and Catholic Legal Immigration Network ("CLINIC"), are represented by The Legal Aid Society, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. If the rule takes effect, it will vastly expand the government’s ability to deny permanent status to immigrants who have relied on certain public benefits. This litigation seeks a permanent injunction to block rule from taking effect, and marks one of many lawsuits to be filed across the nation.

ASC Lauds NYC Mayor’s Guarantee of Comprehensive Health Care for All

New NYC Care Plan a Major Step Forward in Health Equity & Immigrant Rights

African Services Committee (ASC) applauds Mayor Bill de Blasio’s announcement to guarantee comprehensive health care to all New York City residents regardless of ability to pay or immigration status. Beginning in the Bronx in June, with rollout to the other boroughs completed by 2021, the NYC Care plan is a landmark initiative, contributing to universal health care coverage in New York City and is a welcome rebuttal to the Federal administration’s unrelenting assault on immigrant communities.

“Mayor de Blasio’s announcement that the new plan will include health coverage for undocumented City residents is a bold, essential step toward health equity and immigrant rights in New York City,” says ASC’s Director of Advocacy, Amanda Lugg.

‘Public Charge’ Proposed Rule Devastating to Immigrants & Families

Threatens to Imperil Public Health Initiatives

New York, New York 10/10/2018 — African Services Committee condemns in the strongest possible terms the administration’s proposed revision to the “public charge” rule, and stands in solidarity with immigrant families and their allies across the country against any expansion of the “public charge” provisions.

When applying for permanent residency or “green card,” U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) must determine whether an immigrant is likely to become a public charge. The administration is proposing to dramatically expand the types of public benefits which USCIS may consider in its determination regarding whether someone is likely to become a public charge and therefore ineligible for permanent residency.

ASC /ICLC Attorneys Assist Detainees at Remote ICE Detention Facility

As the current administration continues its assault on immigrants, detention centers are over capacity and asylum seekers are being sent to remote detention centers around the U.S. Places where there are no attorneys who can help them. They have no rights and they are treated as less than human. ASC and ICLC attorneys recently went the extra mile, literally, by traveling to provide pro bono legal counsel to help these asylum seekers.

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News and Updates

Sessions Closes Major Path for Asylum Seekers

ICLC Attorney Featured In The New York Times

“The threats from her boyfriend came daily, fear having no respite, Blanca said. If she were to leave him, he told her from his jail cell, he would torture her, cut her into pieces and leave her to die. He was a member of the 18th Street gang in Honduras, and they did these sorts of things. She tried to resist. Then he threw her against a wall when she visited him in jail, the police nowhere to be found. When his fellow gang member later raped and impregnated her, and then another threatened to kill her, she finally fled to the United States in 2013.”

- as reported here in the New York Times, ASC's Immigrant Community Law Center (ICLC) is representing Blanca, whose domestic violence and gang based-claim for asylum is now in jeopardy because of a decision Attorney General Sessions issued, which strips protection from those who need it most -- asylum seekers. Read the full New York Times Story here.