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DHS extends temporary asylum interview interpreter rule

Validated finding · five-country-2010-20260922-v118-evidence-presentation-fix

CountryUnited States
Operative dateMarch 22, 2021
CategoryHumanitarian
Policy toolProcessing
Affected groupNew applicants

Policy effect

DHS extended the temporary rule allowing USCIS-provided telephonic interpreters for many affirmative asylum interviews through September 20, 2021.

Official source excerpt

Quoted verbatim from the official source below. Ellipses indicate omitted text.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS). ACTION: Final rule and temporary final rule; extension. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is extending the effective date (for 180 days) of its temporary final rule which modified certain regulatory requirements to help ensure that USCIS may continue with affirmative asylum adjudications during the COVID-19 pandemic. DATES: This final rule is effective March 22, 2021. The expiration date of the temporary final rule published at 85 FR 59655 on September 23, 2020, is extended … interpreter to their interview, posing a serious health risk in the current climate. [[Page 15073]] Accordingly, this temporary rule extends the temporary final rule published at 85 FR 59655 to continue to address the international spread of pandemic Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) by seeking to slow the transmission and spread of the disease during asylum interviews before USCIS asylum officers. To that end, this temporary rule will extend the requirement in certain instances that noncitizens interviewed for this discretionary asylum benefit use USCIS Government- provided interpreters. C. The … with other noted public safety measures, have been effective in keeping our workforce and the public safe. As of March 5, 2021, there have been 1,577 confirmed cases of COVID-19 exposure among USCIS employees and contractors. The USCIS exposure rate (5.6%) remains below the national average (8.6%). Therefore, DHS has determined that it is in the best interest of the public and USCIS employees and contractors to extend the temporary rule for another 180 days. Under this extension, asylum applicants who are unable to proceed with the interview in English will ordinarily be required to proceed with government-provided telephonic contract interpreters so long as they speak one of the 47 languages found on the Required Languages for Interpreter Services Blanket Purchase Agreement/ U.S. General Services Administration Language Schedule (``GSA Schedule''). If the applicant does not speak a language on the GSA Schedule or elects to speak a language that is not on the GSA Schedule, the applicant will be required to bring his or her own interpreter to the interview who is fluent in English and the elected language (not on the GSA schedule). USCIS incorporates into this extension the justifications … an asylum officer. * * * * * (h) Asylum applicant interpreters. For asylum interviews conducted between September 23, 2020 through September 20, 2021: * * * * * Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security. [FR Doc. 2021-05872 Filed 3-19-21; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 9111-97-P …
Federal Register 86 FR 15072Federal Register 86 FR 15072. DHS extends temporary asylum interview interpreter rule. Effective 2021-03-22.Open official source
Retrieved from https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/03/22/2021-05872/asylum-interview-interpreter-requirement-modification-due-to-covid-19

Review method

Two separate automated exact-claim source reviews

Automated source validation is not independent human legal review. The finding should not be treated as legal advice. Record fcp-b71a4ca717da46211bed. Something wrong? Flag this record.

Other United States changes operative in 2021