CLINIC has been tracking and reporting changes in government policies that affect immigration services in government agencies and the immigration courts. We are advocating for measures that promote public health and safety and protect immigrants and their legal representatives during this national emergency. We continue to monitor how immigrants in the United States, abroad, and at our borders are affected.

CLINIC created a dedicated webpage to consolidate updates from government agencies in response to the COVID-19 crisis and to share resources that may be helpful to you and your program during this challenging time. A summary of selected changes as of April 21, 2020, is below. Please check CLINIC’s COVID-19 page for more details and check back frequently for updates.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

• As of March 18, USCIS has suspended all in-person services at its field offices, asylum offices and Application Support Centers, or ASCs. USCIS has scheduled its reopening date for May 4, unless public closures are extended further. USCIS will provide emergency services for limited situations. To schedule an emergency appointment contact the USCIS Contact Center.
• USCIS announcements on March 27 and March 30 provide flexible response deadlines for certain filings. For applicants and petitioners who receive an RFE, NOID, NOIR or NOIT dated between March 1 and May 1, 2020, any responses submitted within 60 calendar days after the response deadline set forth in the request or notice will be considered by USCIS before any action is taken. Further, USCIS will consider certain Forms I-290B received up to 60 calendar days from the decision date before it takes any action. The eligible Forms I-290B should be from an appealable decision with AAO jurisdiction issued and dated between March 1 and May 1, 2020, inclusive.

Department of State (DOS)

• On March 18, 2020, the State Department announced that it is suspending routine visa services in most countries worldwide. Embassies and consulates in these countries will cancel all routine immigrant and nonimmigrant visa appointments. Check the website of the embassy or consulate for its current operating status. As resources allow, embassies and consulates will continue to provide urgent and emergency visa services.
• NVC notified CLINIC that due to staffing reduction, it will be unable to respond to all inquiries received via NVC’s online inquiry tool. NVC will only respond to inquiries with urgent medical or humanitarian concerns or other necessary updates. NVC will not respond to any routine emails submitted March 27 or earlier. Emails not receiving a specific response will be given an instruction to resubmit the inquiry if it involves an urgent medical or humanitarian situation, or a necessary case update that is still pending. Those with routine inquiries can use self-service tools such as CEAC or consult the NVC’s timeframes page. NVC’s call center remains open during its normal business hours of 7 a.m. to midnight ET.

Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR)

• All non-detained cases scheduled between March 18 and May 1, 2020, are postponed. On March 18, 2020, EOIR issued a four-page memorandum that defers all non-detained cases scheduled between March 18 and April 10; encourages the resolution of cases through written pleadings, stipulations and joint motions; and reminds immigration judges of their authority to waive the appearance of represented respondents. On March 30, EOIR extended non-detained case deferrals from April 20 to May 1.
• EOIR released a Policy Memo noting that as of March 31, 2020, EOIR has begun accepting digital and electronic signatures on all documents filed with immigration courts and the BIA. EOIR will also accept electronically reproduced copies of documents containing digital, electronic or “wet” signatures.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

• As of March 18, 2020, ICE is advising people with scheduled check-ins to contact their local field office for additional guidance prior to their scheduled appointment. ICE indicated that initial check-ins for individuals released from the Southwest border will now be scheduled for initial reporting to a local field office 60 days after release.
• Detention - ICE temporarily suspended social visitation in all of its detention facilities. Legal visitation — to include the Legal Orientation Program — will continue to be permitted. Facilities prefer non-contact visits such as video or phone conferences, but in-person visits may be arranged with the facility.

Visit CLINIC’s COVID-19 webpage for more in-depth information and resources related to the pandemic.

More than half of the United States is under shelter-in-place orders and practicing physical distancing measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Thousands are juggling various priorities at once, while some are anxiety ridden due to loss of employment and others risk their health working to support their families and communities during these uncertain times.

While efforts at the federal level intend to secure and support families through the CARES Act, immigrants have fallen through the cracks. According to the ACLU, “there are three major ways in which immigrants were left behind in the CARES Act: testing and care, cash rebates, and unemployment insurance. Immigrants are serving so many vital roles at the frontlines of our recovery from COVID-19, including the 1.7 million immigrant medical and health care workers caring for COVID-19 patients and the 27,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients working as doctors, nurses, and paramedics.”

At the local level, nonprofits and other community-based programs have been working around the clock to convert their services to virtual platforms while creating new, additional resources for the immigrant community. Local officials in Minneapolis created a $5 million relief package available to eligible families regardless of immigration status. The mayor of Chicago is also taking a stance to protect its immigrant community after signing an executive order to ensure immigrants and refugees have access to the city’s COVID-19 relief aid.

CLINIC affiliates in Washington state, Kansas, and North Carolina are also jumping into action to ensure the immigrants are receiving the same access to services and information. La Casa Hogar and Nuestra Casa of Washington state joined forces to organize their immigrant and Latinx communities. The majority of their Spanish-speaking community were not receiving information on shelter-in-place orders. Together, they created COVID-19 updates in Spanish. Their outreach efforts utilized T.V. and radio to ensure everyone received the same message.

Catholic Charities of Northern Kansas took to YouTube to address the concerns of its community. People spoke out, expressing the fear that ICE agents would use this opportunity to target and detain them, preventing many from seeking medical assistance. Like other organizations, Catholic Charities dedicated COVID-19 resources on their website.

Church World Service of Greensboro, N.C., continues to socialize with their community members through WhatsApp and a community Facebook group. Their community organizers reach out to see how those they serve are dealing with COVID-19 and take time to encourage census participation.

People outside of organizational structures are also coming together to build support one during the pandemic. In Montgomery County, Md., volunteers created Unbreakable Community, connecting neighbors to provide non-urgent community support to one another during the current crisis. Now more than ever, people should be working together to ensure that everyone, regardless of immigration status, has equal access to information, services and relief.

CLINIC applauds our affiliates and the individuals that are working together to promote integration and safety while we overcome COVID-19. Want to be featured in our next monthly highlight? Share with us what unique integration efforts are occurring in your neighborhood.