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CARRP Immigration Delays

Inside CARRP: A Decade of Immigration Delays and Denials

Natalie Angel

Inside CARRP: A Decade of Secret Delays Led and Denials in U.S. Immigration

American Civil Liberties Union Report Reveals Injustice in Immigration System

In a joint report, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) reveal that for over a decade, a U.S. Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS) program has placed thousands of green card and citizenship applicants into prolonged and uncertain processing. 

Since 2008, the Controlled Application Review and Resolution Program (CARRP), has prolonged or denied eligible green card and citizenship applications based on vague suspicions. For over a decade, this program has left thousands of individuals in a state of uncertainty.

CARRP operates by secretly subjecting applicants to a series of rigorous screening processes that often last years and classifies applicants as “national security threats” based on unsubstantiated claims. Even worse, CARRP leaves applicants uninformed and fails to notify them or provide an explanation for their delays. 

According to the joint report “Delay and Deny: How the U.S. Government Condemns Aspiring Americans to Immigration Purgatory”, the USCIS has systematically used CARRP to flag and remove applications from standard processing. Applicants flagged under CARRP face nearly double the denial rates compared to those who are not classified under this program.

 

 

 

 

Based on notions of “national security concerns”, the report finds that this term has been loosely used to restrict broader numbers of applicants. As outlined in the report, “the agency teaches immigration officers that people may be deemed national security concerns based on innocuous characteristics like where they come from, who they know or are related to, their religious activity, the languages they speak, and their professions.”

According to the report, green card and citizenship applicants subjected to CARRP processing waited over 20 months for USCIS to make a decision on their applications, compared to just eight months for those not subjected to CARRP, between October 2012 and September 2019. This marks a significant disparity in processing times, where those who are left in uncertainty and flagged under the CARRP program have been met with no choice but to endure this wait.

Furthermore, not only is this practice unlawful but it is also evidently discriminatory. The CARRP program disguises prejudice as “national security threats” when in practice, it is a biased and unjust method to hinder the immigration process for many applicants. According to the report, among those most impacted by CARRP, green-card and citizenship applicants specifically from Muslim-majority countries face over “10 times the rate of other applicants, while citizenship applicants from Muslim-majority countries are routed into CARRP at 12 times the rate.”

 

 

 

 

This discriminatory practice is not only unlawful but devastating, those that have been subjected to CARRP are left without explanation and without justice. This practice represents a serious flaw in our nation’s immigration system, one that undermines hopes of opportunity and safety and threatens these aspirations through unlawful means. 

In the words of Charlie Hogle, staff attorney with the ACLU’s National Security Project, “USCIS should rescind CARRP instead of continuing to defend it and harming people who are simply seeking the welcome, safety, and opportunity that our country promises. Unless and until the government reverses course, we will keep fighting this due process nightmare.”

 

Natalie Angel | Immigration Correspondent

Natalie Angel is an undergraduate student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign pursuing a degree in Political Science with a concentration in International Relations. Her passion for humanitarian justice and advocacy runs deep, fueled by her upbringing by Colombian immigrants who came to the U.S during the Colombian Armed Conflict. This upbringing has instilled a profound desire to help serve communities impacted by conflict. She is especially interested in justice for refugees and newly arrived migrants and the causes of them leaving their homes. Since beginning her studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign she has involved herself in the UNICEF chapter, where she holds a position on the executive board. In this role she actively raises awareness about various humanitarian crises affecting children worldwide–especially in Latin America. She has raised awareness on the plight of children amidst ongoing conflict, advocating for femicide and gender-based violence prevention, combating human trafficking, and addressing the ongoing refugee crisis in regions all over the world. She is excited to work for Latina Republic’s mission because she hopes to shed light on other stories like her parents. Her ultimate goal is to become a humanitarian advocate that works to serve refugees and victims of conflict. She is certain that working with Latina Republic will play an important role in that mission because it will allow her to amplify the voices of those affected by conflict and displacement, and to advocate for policies that promote humanitarian justice and support for refugees and migrants. Natalie believes that through storytelling and advocacy, she can inspire change and create a more compassionate and understanding world for all those impacted by conflict and displacement.