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Letter to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security on Asylum Seeker Parole Extension
December 13, 2022
Dear Secretary Mayorkas,
We write to demonstrate our support and demand action on the urgent need for Asylum Seeker Parole Extension.
The United States is facing a pivotal moment in its long history of welcoming newcomers. Since May, we have all been responding to the humanitarian crisis at our Southern border as a result of the busing of asylum seekers all over the country, with more than 25,000 individuals arriving in New York. This crisis is caused by both our broken immigration system and the callous actions of the Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, using human beings as political pawns by moving individuals and families by the hundreds directly to our state without any prior notification.
As we continue to meet the immediate, medium, and long-term needs of these asylum seekers, one thing would make a huge difference in families' ability to resettle and integrate themselves — the ability to work. Unfortunately, the ability to grant individuals permission to legally work is out of our jurisdiction, as state legislators. This ability to grant these newcomers the chance to be self-sufficient and to provide for their families, both here and in their home countries, is yours and we urge you to act immediately.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must extend “parole” for asylum-seekers from two months to two years and facilitate expedited work permits for asylum-seeker arrivals and those paroled into the United States. Moreover, USCIS must:
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Expeditiously implement the rescission of the Trump-era work authorization rules, including restoring the mandatory 30-day processing time period for asylum seekers’ initial work permit applications, and ensure all work permit form instructions fully reflect the rescission of the Trump-era rules;
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Process expeditiously asylum seeker and humanitarian parole work permits and renewals in the backlog of applications; and
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Streamline the work permit application process and waive application fees (or generously grant fee waivers) for humanitarian parole-based applicants.
We encourage you to implement the policy recommendations listed therein. This moment calls for a robust, coordinated response from the Federal level down to the local level – one that will meet basic needs and ensure that asylum seekers are able to integrate fully into their new location and are treated with respect and dignity. Ensuring that all those who are able to work have the ability to do so is a step that is important, reasonable, and completely within your ability.
Sincerely,
Brad Hoylman
New York State Senate District 27
Kevin Thomas
New York State Senate District 6
Anna Kaplan
New York State Senate District 7
Catalina Cruz
New York Assembly District 39
Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas
New York State Assembly District 34
Kenny Burgos
New York State Assembly District 85
James Sanders
New York State District 10
John Liu
New York State District 11
Jessica Ramos
New York State District 13
Zellnor Myrie
New York State District 20
Chris Burdick
New York State Assembly District 93
Richard N. Gottfried
New York State Assembly District 75
Anna Kelles
New York State Assembly District 125
Jonathan Rivera
New York State Assembly District 149
Linda Rosenthal
New York State Assembly District 67
Andrew Gounardes
New York State Senate District 22
Jabari Brisport
New York State District 25
Liz Krueger
New York State District 28
Jose Serrano
New York State District 29
Cordell Cleare
New York State District 30
Luis Sepúlveda
New York State District 32
Gustavo Rivera
New York State Senate District 33
Al Taylor
New York State Assembly District 71
Amy Paulin
New York State Assembly District 88
Edward Gibbs
New York State Assembly District 68
Jo Anne Simon
New York State Assembly District 52
Phara Souffrant Forrest
New York State Assembly District 57
Marcela Mitaynes
New York State Assembly District 33
Karines Reyes
New York State Assembly District 87
Harvey Epstein
New York State Assembly District 74
Michaelle C. Solages
New York State Assembly District 22
Deborah J. Glick
New York State Assembly District 66
Emily Gallagher
New York State Assembly District 50
Jamaal Bailey
New York State Senate District 36
Alessandra Biaggi
New York State Senate District 34
Elijah Reichlin-Melnick
New York State Senate District 38
Michelle Hinchey
New York State Senate District 46
Sean Ryan
New York State Senate District 60
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