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NOTEWORTHY
- Afghan Parole Webpage
The Council has published never-before-seen government records documenting the U.S. government’s response in the chaotic aftermath of the Taliban's takeover. The records—revealed in response to FOIA request and subsequent lawsuit—include information about delays in processing Afghan humanitarian parole applications.
The withdrawal of the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan in August 2021 left the country in turmoil, forcing thousands of Afghans to seek refuge in the United States or elsewhere as the Taliban took over the country. For thousands of Afghans who could not reach the U.S. in the immediate aftermath of the U.S. withdrawal, humanitarian parole is the only path to come to the United States. Afghan nationals filed thousands of applications for humanitarian relief, yet U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has adjudicated only a small percentage of these applications.
With rising concerns of delays in the processing of applications for humanitarian, the Council, along with the International Refugee Assistance Project, filed a FOIA request to get a better understanding of the process for adjudicating these applications.
Documents received in response to the FOIA request show that the agency quickly stopped prioritizing humanitarian parole applications of Afghan nationals. This caused delays in processing these applications as Afghan nationals sought refuge. Other changes in the processing of humanitarian parole applications led to an increase in denial rates. All the while, USCIS had been receiving millions of dollars from fees associated with the thousands of applications filed, with only a small fraction of applications receiving approvals.
Read more: Agency Failures Make Obtaining Humanitarian Parole Almost Impossible for Afghans
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Sunshine Week and Transparency Recommendations to DHS
The Council celebrated Sunshine Week by highlighting our work to uncover immigration agency policies and practices and by urging immigration agencies to find innovative ways to share records directly with immigrants. With respect to immigration records requested by immigrants and their attorneys, we recommended the agencies take 'first-person requests' out of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) queue so all FOIA requesters can more quickly and effectively access information about our immigration system.
Recently, a subcommittee established by the Department of Homeland Security agreed. The Openness and Transparency DHS Subcommittee issued recommendations to improve agency transparency including an alternative system for first-person requests “in a more timely way” than through FOIA for, “at a minimum, records that affect an individual’s eligibility for benefits or adversely affect an individual in proceedings.”
The Subcommittee also recommended DHS 1) increase resources devoted to openness and transparency efforts, 2) develop a stronger culture of transparency, 3) use data and technology to improve transparency and build trust, and 4) improve transparency and accountability related to immigration detention facilities.
Read more: Immigration Agencies Violate FOIA, Harming Immigrants and Government Transparency Alike
The American Immigration Council works to hold the government accountable on immigration issues. We harness freedom of information requests, litigation, and advocacy to expose wrongdoing and promote transparency within immigration agencies.
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