On March 29, 2018, a federal court in Seattle has granted a nationwide class action for the
protection for asylum seekers pursuing protection from persecution in their home countries.
In the lawsuit, Mendez Rojas v. Johnson, the court found that the failure to provide all class
members with the deadline notice for asylum application violates Congressional intent to ensure
that asylum is available for those with legitimate claims.
Under the court’s ruling, the Department of Homeland Security must provide all class members
with written notice of the one-year application deadline and the government must accept any
asylum application that has been filed within one-year adoption of the notice. Additionally, the
court ordered the government to adopt, publicize, and implement uniform procedural
mechanisms that will ensure a fair process for class members to file their asylum application.
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