We, the undersigned refugees, asylees, DACA recipients, long-waiting asylum applicants, and other lawfully authorized immigrant workers living in the United States, submit this petition to raise urgent concern about federal regulatory actions that are stripping us of the ability to work — despite the fact that the U.S. government has granted us legal authorization to do so.

Many of us came to the United States fleeing persecution, violence, or political repression. Others, including DACA recipients, grew up in this country and know no other home. We followed the law. We obtained Employment Authorization Documents (EADs). We work, pay taxes, support our families, and contribute to the American economy and local communities.

Now, that stability is being taken away.

Recent federal regulatory actions and their implementation by states are blocking refugees, asylees, DACA recipients, and individuals who have been waiting for asylum interviews for many years — sometimes for a decade or longer — from continuing lawful employment, particularly in regulated professions such as commercial driving and other licensed work that require non-domiciled Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs).

Many asylum applicants have complied with all legal requirements, renewed their work authorization year after year, and built stable lives in the United States while awaiting decisions delayed by systemic backlogs entirely beyond their control. These individuals are now being punished not for any wrongdoing, but simply for waiting in line.

Importantly, although the Interim Final Rule (IFR) restricting non-domiciled CDLs has been stayed by a federal court and currently has no legal force, states are nevertheless refusing to renew or issue non-domiciled CDLs. As a result, lawfully authorized workers are being denied the ability to work based on a rule that is not in effect. This practice appears to violate existing law and leaves thousands of families trapped in legal uncertainty and economic limbo.

Many of us have worked in these professions for years, contributing consistently to the U.S. economy and public life. Many DACA recipients work as school bus drivers, playing a critical role in public safety by transporting children to and from school every day. Our work is not abstract or replaceable — it is essential, visible, and relied upon by American families and communities.

Such a harsh and unjustified approach will lead not only to direct and irreparable harm to our families, but also to harm to American society as a whole. Excluding experienced, lawfully authorized workers from critical professions undermines economic stability, public safety, and community trust. Despite the absence of a permanent immigration status, we are members of this society — we live here, work here, raise children here, and contribute here.

For thousands of families, this is devastating.

Many affected workers are the primary or sole breadwinners for their households. Their children depend on their income for housing, food, education, and healthcare. When a parent suddenly loses the ability to work lawfully, families face immediate financial collapse. Children experience fear, instability, and long-term harm. A legal right that exists only on paper, but cannot be exercised in practice, is no right at all.

It is critical to recognize that lawful work authorization is not granted lightly. Refugees, asylees, DACA recipients, and asylum applicants undergo extensive vetting by the U.S. government. When individuals who are legally authorized to work are later excluded from employment through administrative or regulatory barriers — without any individualized assessment of safety or conduct — this creates a system of collective punishment, not accountability.

We are not asking for special treatment.
We are asking for fair and equal treatment.

People should be evaluated based on:

their safety record,
their qualifications and training,
their actual conduct and compliance with the law —
not on an immigration classification unrelated to job performance or public safety.
International human rights principles consistently affirm that:

access to lawful employment is essential for dignity, independence, and integration,
exclusion from work leads directly to poverty and social marginalization,
children must not bear the consequences of administrative actions taken against their parents.
We therefore respectfully call on U.S. authorities and relevant international institutions to:

Recognize that denying lawfully authorized workers access to employment — including non-domiciled CDLs — undermines fundamental human rights principles.
Urge the United States to ensure that refugees, asylees, DACA recipients, and long-waiting asylum applicants with valid work authorization are not excluded from employment through indirect or status-based restrictions.
Ensure that state authorities comply with existing law and court orders and do not enforce rules that lack legal force.
Promote policies that protect public safety through individual assessment and enforcement, rather than blanket exclusion of entire groups of lawful workers.
This petition represents a collective voice of refugees, asylees, DACA recipients, long-waiting asylum applicants, and their families currently living in the United States. We are workers, parents, and members of our communities who ask only to be allowed to continue working lawfully.

Our request is simple, urgent, and humane:

Do not take away the right to work — including the right to hold a non-domiciled CDL — from people who are legally allowed to work.

 
Who Is Signing This Petition
This petition is signed by:

refugees and asylees residing in the United States,
individuals waiting for asylum interviews with valid Employment Authorization Documents,
DACA recipients, including those working in safety-critical roles such as school transportation,
lawful immigrant workers holding non-domiciled CDLs or seeking to renew them,
family members, advocates, and supporters concerned about the impact on children and communities.