QUESTION
Are asylum application processes and language access adequately managed? How effective are follow-up callbacks?
2:15:38
·
3 min
The administration addresses the complexity of asylum application processes, emphasizes language access improvements, and acknowledges the challenges in tracking the success of follow-up callbacks.
- Asylum application completion is not mandated to occur in one sitting, allowing for variability in completion times.
- Efforts to improve language access include deploying staff to develop plans and address issues, especially for languages of limited diffusion.
- The administration finds the biometrics appointment step complicates the asylum process, affecting the efficacy of 6-month follow-up callbacks.
- Metrics on follow-up callbacks are mentioned but specific numbers are not provided at the meeting, highlighting a need for better tracking and reporting.
Alexa Avilés
2:15:38
I don't know what feedback you've been receiving, but having all these application is done.
2:15:43
Is that a mandate?
2:15:44
Are they supposed to be done in one sitting, and that's it?
Molly Schaeffer
2:15:48
No.
2:15:49
It takes however long it takes.
2:15:51
Okay.
Manuel Castro
2:15:52
Sure if I can speak to the language access.
2:15:54
Yeah.
2:15:54
I think this is one of the the ways that we can we can speak to the the responsiveness of our the language access team.
2:16:02
We also heard feedback around language line and language access needs at the application center and at the We deployed our staff once we were able to hire them, deploy them to help the teams there develop language access plans and address some of the issues that we were seeing as more languages of limited diffusion became present at these locations.
Alexa Avilés
2:16:28
And in terms of I you mentioned that that folks received 6 month callbacks.
2:16:34
How successful are those callbacks?
2:16:36
Are you able to track and how successful that has been?
Molly Schaeffer
2:16:42
So it's been complicated because if you don't do your biometrics appointment, then you your clock stops.
2:16:50
And so we've been seeing that.
2:16:52
It's a really complicated process with the federal government, and so we're really trying to again use every lever we can to get process to be a little bit better so that we can serve people more efficiently.
Alexa Avilés
2:17:07
So but in terms of the and forgive me.
2:17:10
I may be not I may not have as much nuance here.
2:17:13
But how are you how are you keeping track of all the potential places of divergence here or rather how what do you keep track of the metrics like We did 11,000 applications, 30% of them.
2:17:31
We have been able to maintain full contact, and we would consider that a fully successful.
2:17:37
Do you have those kinds of metrics around how you're following these various applications and where the points of diversion or failure are?
Molly Schaeffer
2:17:47
Show we do have numbers on the amount of people that we've called back.
2:17:51
And if we've been able to get them, I do not have those numbers with me, and so I'm happy to follow-up on that.
Alexa Avilés
2:17:56
Where
Molly Schaeffer
2:17:57
that is something that we are looking at.
2:18:01
But again, we're like, our our site was only open last summer, so it's we're in the starting phases of that 6 month clock anyway.
Alexa Avilés
2:18:11
Sure.
2:18:11
Thank you.
2:18:12
We'd love to see as much data around where the where the various points of failure and challenges are in the system.
2:18:19
Because, again, we're investing and making sure we're doing right.
2:18:23
And if there are multiple points of failure, we're not able to address.
2:18:26
We're simply kind of throwing good money after bad.
2:18:31
And and could be, you know, have implications for people's lives.
2:18:37
So Thank you.
2:18:38
We'll talk more.