Responding to Recently-Arrived Asylum Seekers

As part of the Make Our Voices Heard campaign granted by the New York Community Trust, Immigrant ARC curated guest blog posts, each written by one of our members. These insightful and informative pieces highlight their insights, learnings, and recommendations around the current issues in immigration and immigration legal services. The posts reflect only the views of the member organization authoring them, and don't necessarily reflect the views of I-ARC, or our coalition as a whole. 

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By Miranda Alperstein, Lutheran Social Services of New York, Immigration Legal Program
Over the past several weeks, the Immigration Legal Program of LSSNY had the opportunity to work with many migrants recently arrived in or bussed to NYC. As many legal service providers throughout NYC are working to address the needs of this population, we’d like to highlight some observations from this recent work.  

First, many of the people that we saw were from Venezuela and had been recently bussed to NYC from Florida or Texas. Most people we spoke with had been granted 2-month parole by CBP and were given a 60-day deadline to check in with ICE. Some of the migrants had received NTAs or even had attended a first court date, but many were not yet in the EOIR system. Many people expressed interest in seeking “political asylum.” People needed information about the basic structure of the immigration system, e.g., defining ICE vs. Immigration court, asylum, and parole, and we emphasized the importance of finding a trustworthy legal representative. 

ICE check-ins were a source of great confusion. People often couldn’t create ICE appointments online as instructed, and many were advised to create an appointment by email. Others made appointments online and received ICE check-ins in 2025. Some showed up timely to their ICE check-in at 26 Federal Plaza but were turned away because of building capacity. People arriving at 26 Federal Plaza were often told by security that they would have to arrive before dawn if they hoped to attend an ICE appointment. Many were attempting to navigate this system without a cell phone, and some did not have an email account.

As most were preoccupied with the logistical maze of checking in with ICE, they often did not realize there was a separate immigration court process. Many people were not yet in the EOIR system, as their cases had not been docketed with Immigration Court. Most people had been assigned random addresses by ICE, and many did not yet have a fixed address. Often, the people that we saw were staying in city shelters. We tried to emphasize the importance of attending immigration court hearings, updating ICE and the court with a current address, and regularly calling the EOIR hotline. 

Many people also showed us their parole stamp and asked whether the date listed was an appointment. We had to clarify that this was the expiration date of their parole, or “libertad condicional.” Many people wanted to know how they could get a work permit, as they needed to support themselves.

Overall, it felt difficult to explain the requirements of an opaque and unwelcoming immigration system to people who were attempting to meet their most urgent needs: food, shelter, healthcare, childcare. Nevertheless, we were moved by people’s patience and willingness to try to navigate this confusing system, and we felt inspired to be in the company of New York service workers who responded to the crisis with compassion and creativity.