Capital Area Immigrants' Rights Coalition is deeply concerned about the internal memo issued over the weekend by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Associate Director for field operations instructing all United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officers to stop issuing decisions on applications for immigration benefits for nationals of Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, Libya, Iran, Iraq and Syria based on the president’s executive order.
We believe this action discriminates against immigrants already in the United States based on their national origin. Individuals from these countries who are seeking to become American citizens will have this hope put on hold. This policy will significantly affect our Capital Area community by unduly targeting immigrants with lawful status and who are waiting for renewals of benefits like employment authorization and legal permanent residence. This policy will make it more difficult for immigrant families in the United States because they are likely to lose work authorization and access to humanitarian benefits that are vital to their families’ well-being and stability. This unjust policy will have widespread damaging effects on law-abiding small businesses that cannot keep employing these individuals simply because they cannot renew their status or work authorization.
We ask you to stand with CAIR Coalition and consider a donation to support our staff who is working tirelessly to defend and assist immigrants in our community affected by this memo and the executive orders in general.
