APSA BROCHURE
ASYLUM
Program of
Legal Aid for Refugees
___________________________
Catholic Social Service
140
West
(520) 623-0344
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What is APSA?
The Asylum Program of Southern Arizona (APSA)
is a nonprofit, legal aid organization for refugees who seek political asylum
but are unable to hire attorneys to represent them before the Immigration and
Naturalization Service (INS) and the
Founded in 1999 by former refugees, human
rights advocates, attorneys and religious groups, APSA is an interfaith project
of Catholic Social Service. Our funding comes from private foundations,
synagogues, churches and tax-deductible contributions from individuals.
Who is eligible for political asylum in the
Immigrants who are in the U.S. may request
asylum if they have been persecuted or have a well-founded fear of persecution
in their home country on account of their race, religion, nationality,
membership in a particular social group or political opinion.
The burden is on asylum seekers to prove they fit the definition of a
political refugee. Barring extraordinary circumstances or changed conditions in
their home countries, protection seekers must request asylum within one year of
entering the
Those who have participated in the persecution of others or committed serious crimes are not eligible for asylum.
What Services does APSA provide?
The APSA staff attorney, assisted by our paralegal, provides the following services for refugees seeking political asylum or protection under the United Nations Convention Against Torture:
We help clients apply for lawful permanent resident status (green cards) when they become eligible one year after receiving political asylum. When they become eligible to apply for citizenship, we will refer them to the Citizenship Program, which also is a part of Catholic Social Service.
Why is APSA needed?
The Arizona/Mexico border has long been a
crossing point for refugees from around the world who flee political
persecution. In our first year, APSA assisted asylum seekers from
About 75% of our clients are women and children and are among the most vulnerable of immigrants. A growing number of APSA’s cases include women who have been brutally persecuted on account of their gender or political opinions.
Most do not speak English and are unfamiliar with the complicated political asylum process. Many suffer post-traumatic stress from the persecution they have endured or witnessed.
Undocumented, they cannot legally work to support themselves and are at constant risk of being arrested by U.S. Border Patrol and forced to return to the repression they have fled. Without competent legal assistance, their odds of being granted asylum are very small.
Only about 25% of the asylum requests filed in
the
APSA is the only organization in southern
Of course, your tax-deductible contribution is
always most welcome. Please respond by sending your check to APSA-CSS, 140 W.