COVID-19 Alert

Information and Updates

As you know, we are all facing a difficult public health situation, the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19). It is an unsettling time for all, but Immigration Equality are staying up-to-date with city, state, and federal guidelines. We are doing everything possible to protect our clients and staff.

Please note that the Immigration Equality staff is fielding a large number of calls and emails during this uncertain time. We are doing our best to answer your inquiries promptly, but given the volume of requests our responses may be delayed.

Our staff is working remotely, but our phone lines are operating as usual here— 

Hotline for people calling from detention only: 917-654-9696

open 9:30am-5:30pm Monday through Thursday

General requests and other legal help: 212-714-2904

open 1:00pm-4:00pm on Monday

Client meetings will take place over the phone instead of at the office, and according to our existing policy, walk-ins are still not accepted. 

If you or your client has an upcoming hearing, check-in, or interview, we encourage you to contact the office responsible for your client’s next appearance to determine their scheduling policy. Many ICE check-ins and court appearances have already been cancelled and are being rescheduled. We have included some helpful information below.

 

• For immigration court information, you can contact the EOIR hotline or the clerks’ office for a particular court for more information. The hotline number is 1-800-898-7180.  Please see the list here of EOIR offices nationwide and their contact numbers https://www.justice.gov/eoir/eoir-immigration-court-listing. You can also view your case status on the EOIR portal: https://portal.eoir.justice.gov/InfoSystem/Form?Language=EN.
• If you or your client is sick, immunocompromised, living with HIV, or has other health concerns, you can write to the respective asylum office to ask for the interview to be rescheduled as soon as possible. You can find your client’s asylum office and contact information here: https://egov.uscis.gov/office-locator/#/asy.  
• You can find USCIS’ rescheduling policy here: https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/find-a-uscis-office/if-you-feel-sick-please-consider-canceling-and-rescheduling-your-uscis-appointment

 

Below are other helpful links so that you can keep up to date on COVID-19-related policy changes and closures at ICE, the Immigration Courts and USCIS:

 

ICE

ERO Guidance on COVID-19: https://www.ice.gov/covid19

ERO contact information: https://www.ice.gov/contact/ero

 

Immigration Courts

EOIR updates regarding COVID-19: https://www.justice.gov/eoir/eoir-operational-status-during-coronavirus-pandemic 

EOIR scheduling and closures: https://twitter.com/doj_eoir?lang=en

EOIR contact information: https://www.justice.gov/eoir/eoir-immigration-court-listing

 

USCIS

USCIS Response to COVID-19: https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/uscis-response-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19

USCIS Office Closings: https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/uscis-office-closings

USCIS rescheduling policy: https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/find-a-uscis-office/if-you-feel-sick-please-consider-canceling-and-rescheduling-your-uscis-appointment

USCIS Office locator: https://egov.uscis.gov/office-locator/#/asy.  

This post was updated 3/20/20 10:00pm

 

My Unconventional Love Story

By Carla Francisco, Immigration Equality client

Since the first day I met my wife, Cecily, we’ve been inseparable.  

We fell in love when she was in a U.S. Navy training program, visiting St. Maarten on vacation. At the time, she was awaiting active duty deployment in Japan, so after she left, I feared I would never see her again.

It’s dangerous to be a lesbian in St. Maarten, and it’s illegal for us to marry there. I had few options for reuniting with Cecily in the U.S. before it was too late. Read more >> 

 

25 Years of Hope

A Letter from Aaron C. Morris, Executive Director

This year, Immigration Equality celebrates an exciting milestone: 25 years of victories! And I’m so grateful I’ve had the opportunity to serve the LGBTQ and HIV-positive community here for half of those years. It is a big honor to give our clients the gift of hope every day—to protect their families, to help them find safe haven from persecution, and to support them in living out their dreams.

Through it all, I have seen this organization’s determination to fight for individuals and force systemic change, and that’s how I know this is just the beginning of another 25 years of life-saving work for us.  Read more >> 

 

We just Sued the State Department

Lawsuit Targets Discrimination Against Same-Sex Couples

On September 12, Immigration Equality and Lambda Legal filed a lawsuit against the U.S. State Department for refusing to recognize the birthright citizenship of Adiel and Roee Kiviti’s six-month old daughter, Kessem. The U.S. government does not recognize Adiel and Roee’s marriage and is treating Kessem as though she was born out of wedlock.  Read more >>