Advocacy

On Friday, June 28, 2024, the Biden Administration announced the extension of Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for Liberia through June 30, 2026, protecting Liberian immigrants in the United States. The extension will allow Liberians to continue to work and live in the U.S. without fear of deportation. African Communities Together (ACT) and the UndocuBlack Network (UBN) join the Liberian community in the United States in celebrating this decision and urge the administration to prioritize humane and effective immigration policies for our communities.

WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Today, Tuesday June 4, 2024, President Biden issued an executive order that will limit entry and restrict asylum requests at the southern border. Under this directive, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security may shut down the border and turn away asylum seekers if a daily entry cap of 2,500 is reached. The border will remain closed until the daily entry number falls to 1,500.

After nearly a year of deliberation and negotiations, the Legal Aid Society and Coalition for the Homeless have reached a settlement with the City of New York that preserves the right to shelter, a historic mandate that has ensured safe shelter for New Yorkers for decades. African Communities Together commends the diligent efforts of the Legal Aid Society and Coalition for the Homeless in their fight to preserve this right. However, while the settlement prevents the Adams administration from completely gutting the right to shelter, we at African Communities Together are disappointed to see that the settlement permits discrimination against asylum seekers by preventing them from accessing shelters in the same capacity as longtime New Yorkers.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - This weekend, the Senate released a border security bill that would permanently decimate our asylum system in exchange for one-time funding to Ukraine and Israel. The proposed bill would have catastrophic effects on an already under-resourced system by pursuing ineffective policies and by creating a new heightened asylum review process that will send people back to dangerous situations.

On January 30th, 2023, African Communities Together issues a letter to the Biden administration requesting humanitarian parole for Sudan. 

Parole allows the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to permit an individual or a certain group of people to legally enter the U.S. for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.

WASHINGTON, D.C.-- African Communities Together is shocked and appalled by President Biden’s recent statement promising to shut down asylum access at the border and put families and individuals in danger.