USCIS Ceases Asylum Interview “Circuit Riding” To New Orleans, Harlingen, Cincinnati, And Louisville

IMMIGRATION LAW & POLICY

Asylum, Refugee, and Other
Protected Statuses

USCIS ceases asylum interview “circuit riding” to New Orleans, Harlingen, Cincinnati, and Louisville
Immigrants' Rights Update, Vol. 18, No. 4, June 18, 2004

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has discontinued the use of four asylum office circuit ride locations, and the agency is requiring that applicants for asylum and for relief under section 203 of the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act (NACARA) travel to other locations for their interviews.

New Orleans, Louisiana, and Harlingen, Texas, were circuit-ride locations for the Houston Asylum Office; Cincinnati, Ohio, and Louisville, Kentucky, were circuit-ride locations for the Chicago Asylum Office. The agency announced the changes in a Federal Register notice that explains in detail, by zip code of residence, where applicants who reside in areas previously served by the eliminated locations must now travel for their interviews.

In general, the change means applicants will need to travel further for interviews—e.g., applicants residing in the state of Louisiana must now travel to the Houston Asylum Office. The change took effect on May 3, 2004.

69 Fed. Reg. 17437–38 (Apr. 2, 2004).