Staten Island, New York
Mandi Law Group represents Staten Island's asylum seekers — Liberian, Sri Lankan, Central American, and other nationalities — through affirmative and defensive asylum applications, withholding of removal, and all available forms of humanitarian protection. Call (518) 698-0347.
Staten Island's immigrant communities include some of the most vulnerable asylum seekers in the New York metropolitan area. The borough is home to one of the largest Liberian communities in the United States — many of whom have been protected under DED and TPS programs for decades while pursuing permanent residence through the LRIF and other pathways. Staten Island also has significant Sri Lankan Tamil, Mexican, Ecuadorian, and Central American communities with members who fled violence and persecution.
Call (518) 698-0347 for a confidential consultation about your asylum situation.
Individuals who have not been placed in removal proceedings can file affirmative asylum applications with the USCIS Asylum Office. Staten Island residents file at the Newark Asylum Office. We prepare comprehensive asylum applications with a detailed personal statement, country condition evidence, corroborating documents, and legal brief connecting the applicant's fear to a protected ground — race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or particular social group.
Individuals placed in removal proceedings who apply for asylum are in defensive proceedings before the immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza. We represent Staten Island residents in defensive asylum hearings, preparing direct examination, cross-examination, country condition evidence, and expert witnesses. Immigration judges require a higher standard of proof than the Asylum Office — proper representation is critical.
Staten Island has one of the largest Liberian immigrant communities in the United States. Many Liberian Staten Islanders have been protected under Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) or Temporary Protected Status for decades. For those whose DED/TPS protections are at risk, we evaluate asylum eligibility based on tribal persecution, gang violence, and political opposition, as well as LRIF (Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act) permanent residence pathways.
Staten Island has a significant Sri Lankan Tamil community, some of whom fled the civil war between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE. Tamils who fled persecution, torture, or targeting by government forces or paramilitaries may qualify for asylum, withholding of removal, or protection under the Convention Against Torture. We handle Sri Lankan asylum claims with country condition expertise.
Asylum applicants from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico frequently face denials based on arguments that their fear of gangs or domestic violence does not constitute a particular social group. We argue the evolving case law on PSGs — family membership, shared political opposition to gangs, gender-based persecution — and document individual targeting that distinguishes the applicant from the general population.
Applicants who are ineligible for asylum (missed the 1-year filing deadline or have certain bars) may still qualify for withholding of removal or protection under the Convention Against Torture (CAT). Withholding prevents removal to the persecution country. CAT protection applies where the applicant would likely be tortured with the acquiescence of the government. We pursue all available forms of protection.
Affirmative asylum applications for Staten Island residents are filed with the USCIS Newark Asylum Office (Cranberry Creek Corporate Center, 1200 Wall Street West, Lyndhurst, NJ 07071). The Newark Asylum Office handles affirmative asylum for New York and New Jersey applicants. If the Asylum Office does not grant asylum and refers the case, it goes to the immigration court — for Staten Island, that is the New York Immigration Court at 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan. We file affirmative asylum applications and represent Staten Island clients through the entire process, including immigration court if needed.
Asylum applicants must file within 1 year of their last arrival in the United States. Missing this deadline permanently bars you from asylum (though you may still be eligible for withholding of removal and CAT protection). Exceptions to the 1-year deadline exist for changed circumstances (change in country conditions or personal situation) and extraordinary circumstances (serious illness, legal disability, ineffective prior counsel). If you have been in the U.S. for more than 1 year without filing, contact us immediately — we analyze whether any exception applies and pursue every available form of protection.
Liberian nationals who have been in the U.S. since November 20, 2014 qualify for permanent residence under the Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act (LRIF), enacted in 2019. The LRIF allows qualifying Liberians to apply for adjustment of status regardless of how they entered the U.S. The application window closed in 2021, but some late-filing motions may still be pending. For Liberians who did not file under LRIF, current DED protection has been extended but remains uncertain. We advise Liberian Staten Island residents on all current pathways to permanent status — LRIF late filing possibilities, asylum, family-based immigration, and any new legislative developments.
Yes. Even if you cannot obtain asylum due to the 1-year bar, you may qualify for withholding of removal (a higher standard than asylum — requires showing it is more likely than not you would be persecuted) or protection under the Convention Against Torture (requires showing it is more likely than not you would be tortured with government acquiescence). These forms of protection prevent removal to your country of persecution but do not provide a path to a green card the way asylum does. They also do not allow you to travel internationally. We pursue withholding and CAT for all applicants who may be barred from asylum, ensuring no avenue of protection is overlooked.
If the USCIS Newark Asylum Office does not grant asylum (either denying or failing to grant), the case is referred to the immigration court (26 Federal Plaza) for removal proceedings, at which point you can renew your asylum claim as a defense in immigration court. The immigration judge conducts a full hearing on the merits of your asylum claim. You have the right to present evidence, testimony, and legal argument. The immigration court is a more formal adversarial setting than the asylum interview — having experienced legal representation is crucial. After an immigration judge decision, there are additional appeal rights to the BIA and the Second Circuit. We represent Staten Island clients through every stage.
If you fled persecution abroad, you may qualify for asylum in the United States. Contact Mandi Law Group for a confidential consultation.