PETITION CLOSED

  • The time period for signing this petition has ended.
Urge the U.S. Senate to Pass the Refugee Protection Act of 2010
  1. Signatures
    229 out of 500
    Petitioning
    1. The U.S. Senate
  2. Created By
    Michael Jones
    Boston, MA
About this Petition Petition Letter

In March 2010, U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) introduced the Refugee Protection Act of 2010. The bill would change current U.S. immigration law to help immigrants in the U.S. who need and deserve asylum protection, putting in place several measures to protect the human rights of asylum seekers.

The Refugee Protection Act of 2010 has been endorsed by numerous human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, the Heartland Alliance, the International Rescue Committee, Human Rights First, and Immigration Equality. Indeed, Immigration Equality noted that LGBT asylum seekers will benefit substantially from passage of the Refugee Protection Act of 2010.

They cite three reasons why the Refugee Protection Act of 2010 will help LGBT asylum seekers in the long run. According to Immigration Equality, this piece of legislation would:

(1) Eliminate the requirement that asylum applicants file their claim within one year of their arrival in the United States (something that is often times unrealistic for LGBT asylum seekers, since many don't know that they can cite their sexual orientation in applying for asylum);

(2) Protect particularly vulnerable asylum seekers (including LGBT people) by ensuring they can pursue a claim even if their persecution was not "socially visible;" and

(3) Give asylum seekers an opportunity to explain any inconsistency that a judge finds in their testimony.

In short, these provisions would dramatically help LGBT immigrants caught up in the U.S. immigration system. It's in the best interest of LGBT rights, of immigrant rights, and of human rights to pass it. Urge your U.S. Senators today to pass the Refugee Protection Act of 2010.

 

Recent Signatures

Please Support the Refugee Protection Act of 2010

Greetings,

In March 2010, U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy introduced the Refugee Protection Act of 2010. In introducing the bill, Sen. Leahy said that the goal behind the Act would be to inject some sound changes to benefit human rights into U.S. immigration law.

"[This law] would repeal the most harsh and unnecessary elements of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996," Leahy said, noting that this 1996 law has had some harsh consequences for asylum seekers.

Numerous human rights groups have joined in support of the Refugee Protection Act of 2010. Amnesty International, Immigration Equality, Human Rights First, and the International Rescue Committee, to name a few, have all urged the U.S. Senate to pass the Refugee Protection Act of 2010. As these groups have noted, the bill would make a number of important changes, including:

(1) Elimination of the requirement that asylum applicants file their claim within one year of their arrival in the United States;

(2) Protection of particularly vulnerable asylum seekers by ensuring they can pursue a claim even if their persecution was not “socially visible;” and

(3) Giving asylum seekers an opportunity to explain any inconsistency that a judge finds in their testimony.

These are all important in ensuring that those seeking asylum in the U.S. are afforded the opportunity to make a sound and honest case, and are given all the necessary information they need in order to petition for asylum.

I urge you to support the Refugee Protection Act of 2010. It's in the best interest of human rights, and in the best interest of making U.S. immigration law more fair for everyone.

[Your name]

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