COVID-19 I-ARC Response
We started I-ARC based on the simple idea that we are stronger when we work together. Never has this been more evident than when we were suddenly forced apart. Through the first delirious days of the COVID-19 crisis, when we advocated to shut down the immigration agencies in order to best protect our clients, to ongoing work to ensure that cases are not adversely impacted by the need for social distancing and Stay at Home orders, I-ARC has been on the front lines of the crisis response for immigrant communities.
Find our members’ resources for immigrant communities impacted by the COVID-19 crisis HERE.
Advocacy to Federal Agencies
On March 12, 2020, as the need for dramatic social distancing measures became necessary, I-ARC submitted a letter to the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) noting concerns on lack of protections in immigration courts on behalf of 104 organizations and law firms.
On March 25, 2020 we followed up with a letter, signed by over 200 non-profits, law firms, and lawyers, to Attorney General William Barr, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf, and the heads of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and EOIR. The letter asked for common sense protections to help slow the community spread of the virus and protect due process and basic fairness in immigration proceedings and enforcement.
On March 26, 2020 we sent a third letter, to EOIR only, asking for standing orders in each of New York’s immigration courts that would protect all parties and uphold due process.
On April 8, 2020 we submitted motions for standing orders signed by over 20 legal services organizations to each of the New York City immigration courts.
On June 11, 2020, we submitted two new letters, to USCIS and to EOIR, advocating for safety protocols to be implemented as the agencies begin to resume full operations amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
Organizational Support
Through our regularly scheduled meetings as well as ad-hoc calls on specific topics, I-ARC has brought our members together to share best practices for offices policies, work load management while in self isolation, client relationships and much more. These calls have led to the creation of collaborative materials described above and have encouraged a consistent flow of strategies and ideas.
Our ListServs have been extremely active, keeping everyone informed of actual changes on the ground and within each agency, as publicly available information from EOIR and DHS has often been inaccurate or outdated by the time it was circulated. The ListServs have also been a space to share tips and strategies on how to respond to changes in policy and how to address they innumerable complications to law practice caused by the COVID-19 crisis.
I-ARC has prioritized the well-being of its members and has stood up multiple resiliency tools. This includes a list of available resources, weekly yoga classes, and bi-weekly “Community Care Sessions” led by a licensed social workers, to encourage legal representatives to speak about the unique challenges they face in these difficult times.
Litigation
Through connections to national partners, I-ARC has uplifted the concerns raised above to the attention of several of the teams currently challenging the dangerous immigration policies in federal court, who have in turn used the information and materials created to support their claims.
Community Education
As New York begins to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, immigrant communities will face the additional challenge of recovering while having been largely left out of state and federal relief packages. I-ARC and its partners will be ready to work with all who need legal assistance and access to information.