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Mayors call on DHS to extend work permits for migrants
Eric Adams of New York, Brandon Johnson of Chicago, Michelle Wu of Boston, Mike Johnston of Denver signed the letter.
Representative image of immigrant worker in the US / (uscis.gov)
Mayors of over 40 Cities along with county executives from across the United States have called on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to grant migrants an automatic extension of work permits.
Historically, the employment authorization documents (EAD) would remain valid for 180 days, after expiration. However, in 2022 the USCIS issued a Temporary Final Rule (TFR) extending this period to 540 days to account for the significant delays in processing.
The TFR expired in October 2023 and the EAD validity reverted to the original, up to 180-day period for eligible applicants. The mayors in their letter have therefore asked the DHS for a “permanent automatic extension of work authorization" in the form of an interim final rule that extends work permits for 540 days or longer.
In the absence of automatic extension, thousands of immigrant workers will potentially lose their work authorization, resulting in economic costs for businesses and communities, the Mayors pointed out in the letter. The call to action addresses the urgent need to support immigrant workers facing potential job losses due to processing days.
The letter was signed by Eric Adams of New York, Brandon Johnson of Chicago, Michelle Wu of Boston, Mike Johnston of Denver alongside mayors from more than 20 different states, nationwide.
The letter raised concerns about lengthy delays in processing renewal applications for work permits. “As of June 2023, there were approximately 263,000 EAD renewal applications pending,” it noted. Aside from job losses and economic burden on local businesses and communities, it also highlighted the impact it will have on cities to receive newly arrived asylum seekers.
“If DHS does not implement a permanent change to the automatic extension, any temporary extension should be for a period of no less than three years, to allow sufficient time for USCIS to work through the extensive work permit renewal backlog,” the Mayors stated, demanding swift action.
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