(Chicago Sun-Times) The Chicago chapter of the country’s largest Muslim civil rights group is asking a federal court to force immigration agents to rule on asylum applications that have been in the pipeline for years.
Asylum applicants have the right to live and work in the United States while their applications are being processed by U.S. [Citizenship] and Immigration Services.
But seven applicants from the Middle East, sponsored by the Chicago chapter of the Council [on] American-Islamic Relations in Chicago, or CAIR-Chicago, are stuck in limbo. All seven claim to face persecution in their home countries.
In July, CAIR-Chicago filed a complaint against USCIS in the Northern District of Illinois. The complaint calls for the court to set an “immediate deadline” for the agency to rule on the applications. CAIR-Chicago is also seeking an unspecified amount of damages.
