New York Legal Assistance Group Inc.
New York Legal Assistance Group Inc.
22/07/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 23/07/2024 16:46
CityLimits: Missed Mail is Complicating Migrants’ Immigration Cases, Exacerbated by Shelter Deadlines
CityLimits: Missed Mail is Complicating Migrants' Immigration Cases, Exacerbated by Shelter Deadlines
- July 22, 2024
- 3:00 pm
Since the City first proposed shelter stay limits for recently arrived immigrants, we warned of the many instabilities that would follow-including our new neighbors losing access to mail, which is vital for their immigration proceedings.
Now, we're seeing the results. Recently arrived immigrants evicted from shelter are not always receiving their mail, which means they're not getting essential notices and hearing dates from court, leading to missed appointments and an increased risk of deportation orders being issued without their knowledge. NYLAG's Allison Cutler explained the impacts to CityLimits based on her experiences overseeing NYLAG's Pro Se Plus Project clinics.
"In January, the New York Legal Assistance Group, one of the organizations in the Pro Se Plus Project-which provides assistance in applying for asylum, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), and work permits-started to receive the first batch of returned mail.
"Whether it is an application to DHS or USCIS, NYLAG sends applicants copies of their documents as proof that the application was filed. However, the copies weren't delivered.
"'We mail them [asylum seekers] this application usually within a week or two after they're done,' said Allison Cutler, a supervising attorney in NYLAG's Immigrant Protection Unit, who also runs its Pro Se Plus Project clinics. It was through these returned mailings that they realized that their packages were not reaching people.
"Moreover, 'we're seeing that the shelter is actually writing on some of them,' Cutler said. 'We have an envelope that actually says 'discharged.' And it lists the room number that the resident was in.'…
"Cutler describes that what started as a rarity in January, with a few returned packages a month, has only grown.
"'This is affecting people's work authorization, their ability to obtain safety and stability and economic independence and ultimately, permanent status and protection in the United States,' Cutler noted. 'And if they miss an immigration court hearing, they're risking being ordered deported in their absence. And of course, having their asylum application denied if they had already applied and it was pending.'"
Read the full piece by Daniel Parra in CityLimitsfrom July 22, 2024.
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