Join SC Appleseed in Urging Full Restoration of Deferred Action for Severely Ill Immigrants

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We need your help to support humane immigration solutions!

Last week SC Appleseed signed on to a letter urging USCIS to reverse its decision to stop adjudicating applications for non-military deferred action. Despite a partial reversal of the policy, more action is needed.

In early August USCIS made an internal (and not publicly announced) policy decision to stop adjudicating non-military applications for deferred action. Deferred action status allows immigrants who have special humanitarian circumstances identified by law, such as being critically ill and needing specialized medical treatment, to apply for temporary lawful presence in the United States and not be subject to deportation. Over 100 members of Congress signed on to a bi-partisan letter calling on USCIS to continue to processes non-military deferred action requests.

This week, in a partial reversal, USCIS agreed to adjudicate all requests submitted or pending as of August 7, 2019, but has not stated whether it will adjudicate requests submitted after August 7, 2019. We need your help to demand USCIS continue to provide life saving humanitarian immigration relief by adjudicating non-military based applications for deferred action.    

If you represent an organization, join SC Appleseed in signing the American Immigration Lawyers’ Association (AILA) sign-on letter demanding USCIS continue to process requests for non-military deferred action submitted after August 7, 2019. If you want to sign on to the letter, complete this FORM.

If you do not represent an organization, but want to make your voice heard, contact South Carolina’s federal legislative delegation and tell them to demand President Trump and acting Secretary Cuccinelli of USCIS continue to adjudicate non-military requests for deferred action, a critical humanitarian safe guard, for seriously ill and vulnerable immigrants.