Afghan people seeking asylum are suing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). They are suing the federal government over the
delay in the process of their asylum applications. It has been nearly two years since these
people first arrived in the United States when the Taliban retook Afghanistan. Many Afghan
people could flee Afghanistan with the help of the U.S. military. Their asylum applications were
supposed to be adjudicated within 150 days of applying. Afghans only have temporary status
while their applications are pending, and this protection is set to expire soon. The lawsuit asks
for DHS and USCIS to adjudicate their asylum applications within 30 days and follow the 150-
day deadline.
There are about 1600 Afghan asylum applications for which USCIS has only decided on about
11%. If USCIS does not act quickly, thousands of Afghan people will lose federal benefits. On
September 06, 2023, there was a settlement reached. USCIS agreed that they will adjudicate
50% of Afghan asylum applications filed on or before June 3, 2023, by October 31, 2023, 65% of
Afghan asylum applications filed on or before August 3, 2023, by December 31, 2023, 90% of
Afghan asylum applications filed on or before December 2, 2023, by April 30, 2024, at least 90%
of Afghan asylum applications filed on or before February 1, 2024, by June 30, 2024,
applications filed on or after February 2, 2024, they will be adjudicated no later than 150 days
after filing.
If you or anyone you know has a pending Afghan asylum application, please get in touch with
Pikes Peak Immigration to schedule a consultation today.