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Washington, D.C.—Human Rights First today expressed concern regarding apparent changes made to the State Department’s Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2017, compared to previous years’ reports. The organization also criticized the Trump Ad…
Read moreWashington, D.C.—Human Rights First today condemned a decision by Attorney General Jeff Sessions that casts doubt on the right of asylum seekers to an evidentiary hearing before immigration judges. The organization notes that the move, announced in a s…
Read moreNew York City—Following tours this week of three family immigration detention facilities in New Jersey, Human Rights First calls on the Trump Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the local governments to improve conditions and…
Read moreWashington, D.C.—In response to the ongoing human rights and humanitarian crisis in Burma, Human Rights First, in coalition with 58 human rights, labor rights, and religious organizations today called on Secretaries Tillerson and Mnuchin to take immediate action against Burmese military officials responsible for crimes against humanity and other atrocities committed against the country’s Rohingya population.
Washington, D.C.— Human Rights First today expressed concern over an announced policy change by U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) that will affect individuals applying for permanent residence and other benefits who are deemed to be inadmissible for some association with a group characterized as an undesignated or Tier III terrorist organization under the Immigration & Nationality Act (INA). Specifically, the change will eliminate a hold for individuals for whom the statute allows a discretionary exemption, but no exemption has yet been implemented.
Washington, D.C.—In response to today’s decision by the Supreme Court to cancel oral arguments on President Trump’s travel ban, Human Rights First’s Hardy Vieux issued the following statement:
Washington, D.C.—Human Rights First said that today’s release by the International Labor Organization (ILO) and Walk Free Foundation, in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), of new estimates on the number of victims of modern slavery across the globe demonstrate the need for the U.S. government to redouble its efforts to disrupt the business.
Washington, D.C.—Yesterday Human Rights First and its project Veterans for American Ideals, along with No One Left Behind and Vietnam Veterans of America, filed an amicus curiae brief with the United States Supreme Court in the case of Trump v. International Refugees Assistance Project in support of the thousands of refugees targeted by the Trump Administration’s travel ban.
New York City—In response to President Trump’s United Nations General Assembly address, in which he falsely claimed that resettling one refugee is as expensive as supporting ten individuals in frontline countries and cited a now-disputed study that outlined the cost of resettling refugees, Human Rights First’s Eleanor Acer released the following statement:
“By attempting to pit support for frontline-hosting states and support for refugees in need of resettlement against each other, the president is presenting a false and short-sighted choice.
Washington, D.C.—Human Rights First today condemned the passage of the Criminal Alien Gang Member Removal Act in the House of Representatives, and urged the Senate to reject the legislation, which would have severely negative consequences for asylum seekers and refugees fleeing persecution.