RIF Executive Director Maria Blacque-Belair writes about the backlog in affirmative asylum cases and the invisible plight of family separation that it’s causing for New York City asylum seekers.
Program Spotlight
Shortly after taking office, President Biden asked Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas to set up a task force to reform the U.S. asylum system. One hundred days into President Biden’s first term, most attention is on asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. This focus overlooks the nuances of the asylum system—notably, the differences between affirmative and defensive asylum.
