HOUSTON – Asylum seekers fear they could lose the right to work legally in the U.S. while their cases are still pending.
Proposed policy would block work permits for asylum seekers
The Trump administration is weighing a new policy that would stop most asylum seekers from getting work permits while their applications are being reviewed — a process that can take years.
If approved, the regulation would reverse a longstanding policy that allows people to apply for work authorization 150 days after filing for asylum. Under the proposal, work permits would be delayed indefinitely until the government can resolve all cases in under six months — something that immigration experts say isn’t realistic due to extreme backlogs.
She fled violence in Colombia. Now she’s fighting for a future in Houston.
Michelle Daniela Martínez Castro arrived in the United States this past January. She says armed groups in Colombia threatened her family — and targeted her father, an indigenous community leader.
“Colombia is a very beautiful country... but it is still a country affected by violence,” she said. “These groups try to control your life and your land. That’s why I came here.”
Michelle turned herself in to immigration authorities and began the asylum process legally. She says all she wants is a chance to support her daughter and do things the right way.
“I came here ready to work — willing to do anything to provide for my family,” Michelle said in Spanish. “And now, just like that, they want to take away the right to work.”
“All I want is for my daughter to keep studying… to have the same opportunities as any other child in this country. But without a work permit, I’m stuck. What am I supposed to do now?”
Advocates say the proposal would make an already broken system worse
César Espinosa, executive director of FIEL Houston, says most asylum seekers already face long odds. He told KPRC 2 the proposal would only push more people into the underground economy — or force them to abandon their cases altogether.
“A lot of people are fleeing really bad situations,” Espinosa said. “The last thing on their mind is, ‘I’m coming to get a work permit.’ They’re just trying to survive.”
He says the cost of hiring an immigration attorney to handle an asylum case range from $10,000 to $20,000 — and without the ability to work, many families won’t be able to afford it.
‘You don’t leave because you want to… you leave because you have to.’
Michelle says this proposal would send a heartbreaking message to families like hers — who followed the law but now feel punished for it.
“You feel like you’re being pushed out — and not because you chose it, but because life gave you no choice,” she said. “No one leaves the place they love, their home, their family, just for the sake of it. You’re here because you had to be.”
She says she’s not asking for special treatment — only a fair chance.
“We’re not criminals. We came here to work, to live in peace, and to contribute.”
What’s next?
The proposed rule has not been finalized. It’s unclear when — or if — it will be publicly announced. KPRC 2 reached out to several Republican members of Congress for comment. Most did not respond, and one declined to comment.
We’ll continue to follow updates to this policy as they develop