Topic: U.S. Advocacy

May 23, 2023

In a hearing of the House Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security and Enforcement on Tuesday, HIAS President and CEO Mark Hetfield said that comprehensive immigration reform is the only way to respect the rights of asylum seekers by creating safe, orderly and humane processes, while also meeting demands for border security.

May 23, 2023

Statement of HIAS President and CEO Mark Hetfield after testifying before the House Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security and Enforcement

May 8, 2023

HIAS is calling on the House of Representatives to reject H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act of 2023, which lawmakers are expected to debate and vote on this week.

May 7, 2023

Statement of HIAS President and CEO Mark Hetfield on today’s incident in Brownsville, Texas, where a driver reportedly plowed into a crowd of migrants

Apr 27, 2023

In preparation for May 11, when the Biden Administration will finally end the Trump administration’s policy of expelling asylum seekers under the pretext of a public health measure known as Title 42, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State today announced what they described as “regional migration management measures.”

Apr 26, 2023

HIAS is urging the House Homeland Security Committee to reject the Border Reinforcement Act of 2023, which would lead to sweeping policy changes at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Apr 19, 2023

HIAS strongly opposes the Border Security and Enforcement Act of 2023 being marked up in the House Judiciary Committee today, and is urging committee members to reject any attempt to address challenges at the U.S.-Mexico border with draconian steps that would deny basic protections to people seeking asylum.

Mar 13, 2023

HIAS welcomes today’s announcement that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will extend the humanitarian parole status of some 20,000 Ukrainians who arrived at U.S. ports of entry between February 24, 2022 and April 25, 2022, before the launch of the Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) program.

Mar 2, 2023

On February 21, the Biden Administration proposed a series of policies which together, advocates claim, would result in a virtual asylum ban at the U.S.-Mexico border. HIAS Vice President for U.S. Policy and Advocacy Naomi Steinberg explains what this means and how it would impact asylum seekers.

Feb 21, 2023

HIAS is condemning proposed policies introduced today by the Biden administration that would amount to a virtual asylum ban. The change would deny access to protection to most people who have not already applied for protection in any other country they passed through on their journey to the United States, or to those who entered the United States without inspection and authorization.