Congressman Dan Goldman Continues Fight for a Pathway to Safe and Legal Work for Asylum Seekers

‘Assisting Seekers in Pursuit of Integration and Rapid Employment (ASPIRE) Act’ Will Expedite Work Authorization Approval, Provide More Funding for Agencies Responsible for Processing Asylum Applications 
 
Current 180-Day Waiting Period Places Undue Strain on Local Resources to Provide Basic Needs for Migrants  
 
Expediting Work Authorization Remains a Top Issue for Migrants and Business Community 
 
Read the Bill Here

Washington, DC – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) joined Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15) in introducing the ‘Assisting Seekers in Pursuit of Integration and Rapid Employment (ASPIRE) Act’ to give asylum seekers a pathway to safe and legal employment. Current federal law, passed in 1996, requires asylum seekers to wait six months after filing an asylum petition before being able to get authorization to work. This waiting period places undue strain on the new communities of asylum seekers who are wholly reliant on public services for their basic needs. These delays also exacerbate the current labor shortage by keeping able and willing workers out of the workforce.  
 
The ASPIRE Act would reduce the current waiting period for an employment authorization document (EAD) from 180 days to just 30 days after the asylum application is filed. The bill will also provide $2 billion in funding for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in order to increase the agency’s resources to process asylum applications and reduce the current backlog. It would also provide $10 billion in funding for FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program to provide funding to local governments and nonprofit organizations offering shelter, food, and other services to incoming migrants. 
 
“I am proud that New York continues to welcome a growing number of asylum seekers with open arms, but we can’t do it alone,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “The migrants I have met in my district simply want to work and build a life here for themselves and their families, as so many of our families have. And the business community is desperate for more labor. The bureaucratic red-tape that burdens migrants with a statutory 180-day waiting period for work authorization is a serious and unnecessary barrier. The ASPIRE Act will not only reduce the waiting period for work authorization but will also expedite the processing of asylum applications, bolstering our humanitarian efforts and fixing one of the core problems in our immigration system.” 
 
In 1996 the Immigration and Nationality Act was passed requiring asylum seekers to wait half a year after filing an asylum petition before getting authorization to work. The law also requires that, once a person has filed an asylum claim, they must wait a minimum of 150 days before applying for a work authorization, which can be granted 180 days after filing the asylum claim. Because of technical issues and delays in processing work authorization requests, this time period is often longer.

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