Topic: U.S. Border Response

HIAS works on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border to provide services to asylum seekers. We are also providing extensive community education to asylum seekers, including “Know Your Rights” presentations, and remote meetings with experienced asylum attorneys.

  • HIAS has offices in Mexico in Juarez, Matamoros, Mexicali, Mexico City, Monterrey, Nuevo Laredo, Queretaro, Palenque, Reynosa, and Tijuana. We  are providing people with legal services and information — including legal assistance for asylum in the U.S. and Mexico, legal representation to stay in Mexico, and Know Your Rights workshops — and mental health services and gender-based violence prevention as well. We also provide legal services in Matamoros. HIAS works with partners on the U.S. side of the border for true cross-border collaboration.
  • HIAS is proud to have placed Border Fellows in non-profit legal organizations along the southern border to increase their capacity to provide legal representation to asylum seekers in and out of detention. Right now HIAS has five active fellows: one fellow is working out of our affiliate, JFS San Diego; one fellow is working with Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center in El Paso, Texas; and one fellow is at South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project (ProBAR) in Brownsville, Texas. Also, Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project in Tucson and Nogales, Arizona as well as Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) in Laredo, Texas now have HIAS Fellows.
  • We are still actively recruiting volunteers to help asylum seekers remotely. Spanish-speaking and Haitian Kreyol-speaking individuals can volunteer to provide remote document translation to assist asylum seekers in preparing necessary evidence for their asylum cases. You will receive training on how to translate these documents, and must commit to completing three translations over six months. If you or anyone you know is interested, please apply here. Additionally, Spanish-speaking volunteers can join Proyecto Compañeros, a virtual accompaniment project serving asylum seekers enrolled in the MPP (“Remain in Mexico”) program. Volunteers will meet with their matches bi-weekly for up to three months and provide them with friendship, support, non-legal information, and translation assistance. If you or anyone you know is interested in joining Proyecto Compañeros as a volunteer, please complete an application. Find out more and sign up here. If you are a lawyer interested in helping, please see our Pro Bono page to learn more.
  • You can access Know Your Rights videos for people in the MPP program here in: SpanishPortugueseMam (Indigenous Guatemalan language)K’iche/Quiché (Indigenous Guatemalan language)  Here is information in Spanish about the Prompt Asylum Claim Review (PACR) and Asylum Cooperation Agreement (ACA) programs.
  • We continue to mobilize the Jewish community to be a strong, persistent moral voice in support of fair, humane treatment of asylum seekers and we engage in asylum advocacy in Washington.

Find out about ways to take action for refugees and asylum seekers here.

See the stories below for how HIAS has been working to help asylum seekers at the border since the crisis started.

87 results

May 24, 2021

One Man’s Journey Is Every Man’s Story

May 24, 2021

One Man’s Journey Is Every Man’s Story Yeinier's journey from Cuba to the United States took 22 months; with HIAS’ help, his story had a happy ending, but it came at a high price.

May 11, 2021

PODCAST: Asylum Seekers’ Border Nightmare

May 11, 2021

PODCAST: Asylum Seekers’ Border Nightmare In the latest episode of Crossing Borders, we hear from asylum seekers trapped at the U.S.-Mexico border and the HIAS workers trying to get them to safety.

Apr 7, 2021

Good News and Bad News at the U.S.-Mexico Border

Apr 7, 2021

Good News and Bad News at the U.S.-Mexico Border Some asylum seekers trapped in Mexico are finally being allowed into the United States, but other border policies are still causing serious harm to people in need of safety.

Mar 23, 2021

What’s Really Happening at the U.S.-Mexico Border?

Mar 23, 2021

What’s Really Happening at the U.S.-Mexico Border? What is the situation at the border and with asylum seekers? And what changes has the Biden administration made to its policies? Here are some answers.

Mar 19, 2021

Statement Submitted to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security

Mar 19, 2021

Statement Submitted to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security Statement Submitted to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security Mar 19, 2021 Statement submitted to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security Hearing on“The Way Forward on Homeland Security” HIAS is the international Jewish humanitarian organization that provides vital services to refugees and asylum seekers in 16 countries. We advocate […]

Feb 19, 2021

An Important Step Forward in Undoing MPP

Feb 19, 2021

An Important Step Forward in Undoing MPP An Important Step Forward in Undoing MPP Feb 19, 2021 WASHINGTON — Today, at the San Ysidro border crossing in San Diego, asylum seekers will finally begin to receive the justice and due process they have been denied for two years.  A small group of asylum seekers affected by the Migrant Protection Protocols, or MPP, […]

Jan 29, 2021

Family Separation, Three Years On

Jan 29, 2021

Family Separation, Three Years On Jacob Soboroff, NBC News and MSNBC correspondent and bestselling author, and Sue Kenney-Pfalzer, HIAS’ director for the Border and Asylum Network, discussed the current state of the family separation crisis, the impact it has had, and how organizations like HIAS are using our national legal and asylum networks to fight back.

Jan 21, 2021

Hard Work Ahead to Repair Broken U.S. Asylum System

Jan 21, 2021

Hard Work Ahead to Repair Broken U.S. Asylum System As the Biden administration prepares to undo the damage done to the immigration system, it will be under pressure to work quickly but it will be hampered by complex issues regarding asylum policies and regulations.

Dec 22, 2020

2020 Year In Review: A Global Pandemic Met with Resilience

Dec 22, 2020

2020 Year In Review: A Global Pandemic Met with Resilience 2020 will undoubtedly be a year that many people will want to forget. But despite the unparalleled challenges of 2020, HIAS has been able to not only pivot to online programs and services but actually extend its reach to more clients. HIAS helped more than 1.17 million people this year, the highest number in the organization’s history.

Nov 6, 2020

Seeking Asylum, Saving a Baby

Nov 6, 2020

Seeking Asylum, Saving a Baby Lina and Hank, asylum seekers in Matamoros, Mexico, needed to go to the U.S. for their baby's birth which required surgery not available in Mexico.