Mariko Hirose, IRAP Litigation Director, addresses journalists at an outdoor press conference. She is surrounded by several journalists with cameras, microphones and notepads. She has straight, shoulder length black hair and wears a white blouse and black blazer.

News & Resources

Search this database to find legal resources, our latest press releases, blog posts, and other materials.

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Aug 4, 2021

IRAP Denounces Biden Administration Decisions to Extend Title 42 Expulsions, Implement Expedited Removals

The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) is extremely disappointed by the extension of the harmful and illegal Title 42 policy and urges the Administration to recommit to upholding asylum law.

Press Release

Aug 4, 2021

FOIA: IRAP v. USCIS – Protecting the right of refugee applicants to access their records under the Freedom of Information…

IRAP filed a lawsuit challenging USCIS’s policy of refusing to search the database it uses for refugee adjudications (called “WRAPS”) and claiming to have no records of refugee case files when responding to FOIA requests. Consistent with this policy, USCIS failed to produce a single document when IRAP requested its client’s refugee case file.

Case

Aug 2, 2021

New IRAP Report Recommends Action to Tackle Climate Displacement

The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) released a new report, “Opportunities to Address Climate Displacement in the U.S.,” which outlines the legal protection gaps that prevent people displaced by climate change from finding safety and what the United States can do to address them.

Press Release
A photo of a young Black child hugging a papier mache globe.

Aug 2, 2021

U.S. Opportunities to Address Climate Displacement (August 2, 2021)

This report highlights opportunities for the U.S. government to address climate displacement, identifying and advocating for pathways to safety for climate-displaced people based on existing legal tools and opportunities to develop new pathways.

Publication

Aug 2, 2021

IRAP Welcomes Refugee Priority Designation for Afghans at Risk

The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) welcomes the State Department’s announcement, which allows U.S. affiliated Afghans who are otherwise not eligible for the SIV program to apply for resettlement to the United States.

Press Release

Jul 30, 2021

Summary of Afghan Special Immigrant Visa provisions in HR 3237

On July 29, 2021, the Senate voted 98-0 and the House voted 416-11 to advance an emergency supplemental appropriations act (HR 3237), which contains several positive reforms to the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program. Read our Summary of Afghan Special Immigrant Visa provisions in HR 3237.

Legal Resource

Jul 30, 2021

IRAP Applauds Passage of Legislation Expanding and Expediting Protections for Afghan Allies and Families

The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) applauds yesterday’s passage of an emergency supplemental appropriations act (HR 3237) that includes much-needed funding and additional visas to support local allies who worked alongside U.S. personnel in Afghanistan.

Press Release

Jul 7, 2021

IRAP Calls for the Immediate Evacuation of Afghan Allies, Presses for Urgency and Expansive Plans

The Administration must immediately begin an evacuation of all Afghans affiliated with the United States, and the evacuation must be to U.S. soil to ensure adequate due process. Every moment’s delay puts the lives of these allies in mortal danger.

Press Release

Jul 6, 2021

John Doe v. United States: Protecting access to the Afghan SIV program

IRAP filed a lawsuit on behalf of an Afghan civil engineer, “John Doe,” who worked in support of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan for many years at great personal risk.

Case

Jun 30, 2021

Press Release: IRAP Files Challenge on Behalf of U.S.-Affiliated Afghan Wrongfully Blocked From Visa Program After Insurgents Kidnapped His Supervisor

The government revoked the plaintiff's initial authorization, because they could not reverify a letter from his supervisor, who remains captive.

Press Release

Jun 29, 2021

Resources on How to Help Afghan Partners

Thank you for your interest in helping ensure that Afghan allies and refugees have a

Action Alert
Mother and child holding hands and walking through an airport.

Jun 29, 2021

Action Alert: Time Is Running Out – Help us Bring Afghans to Safety

As President Biden’s planned withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan quickly approaches its end, time is running out to bring vulnerable Afghans to safety in the U.S.

Action Alert