Report: A Fiefdom on Long Island: An Investigation Into the Culture and Practices of the New York Asylum Office

A new report “A Fiefdom on Long Island: An Investigation Into the Culture and Practices of the New York Asylum Office” was authored by Brooklyn Law School students.  Findings are based on over 40 interviews with former New York asylum officers, immigration attorneys, asylum seekers, and others as well as information received through a public records request filed by Human Rights First and other publicly available data.

Here is part of the executive summary:

“The New York Asylum Office is one of 11 asylum offices around the country. Year after year, the New York Asylum Office grants asylum at one of the lowest, if not the lowest
rates in the country, significantly lower than asylum offices in Texas and Florida. According to FOIA and other publicly available data, in FY 2020, the New York Asylum Office
granted just 5% of applicants, referring most other asylum seekers to removal proceedings in immigration court. In FY 2021 and 2022, the grant rate inched up to between 6% and 7%, still lower than any other asylum office in the country. The Safe Harbor Clinic at Brooklyn Law School wanted to understand why this is the case: Why does the New York Asylum Office
consistently grant asylum at the lowest rate in the country?”

Download A Fiefdom On Long Island

KJ