Washington, DC,– The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans to discontinue the automatic extension of Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) for people who apply to renew their work authorization, shutting down a lifeline for immigrants who rely on EADs to work and, particularly for unaccompanied children, depend on them as their only source of government identification. The 540-day automatic extension has been a buffer to ensure that immigrants are not left without documentation as they await renewal of their EADs, which have been slowed as a result of a significant backlog. The interim final rule, which was announced yesterday in the Federal Register and is set to go into effect for renewal applications filed on or after today, could result in hundreds of thousands of immigrants unable to work and support themselves, as well as thousands of unaccompanied children unable to access key services for which they need government identification. KIND President Wendy Young issued the following statement in response.
“The elimination of the auto-extension of employment authorization documents (EADs) will deprive unaccompanied children of their often only form of government-issued identification that can help them access social services, medical care, and other daily needs,” said KIND President Wendy Young. “EADs also help older youth access safe and lawful training/work opportunities to support their security and well-being and reduce their vulnerability to trafficking and labor exploitation. Auto-extensions are a stopgap measure to prevent the loss of EADs – and the vital assistance they provide – while waiting for EAD renewals to be processed, which can be a lengthy process, even when applicants apply in a timely manner. Thousands of unaccompanied children and youth will face the loss of basic services and safe work opportunities that help keep them healthy and secure as a result of this new rule.”
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Media Contact: Megan McKenna, mmckenna@supportkind.org, 202-631-9990