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Overview
- Non-detained asylum cases in El Paso are heard downtown at 700 E. San Antonio Avenue, Suite 750, and detained cases at the SPC court on Montana Avenue.
- Asylum must be filed within one year of the last arrival in the United States unless changed or extraordinary circumstances apply, so El Paso applicants should call early.
- ICE holds El Paso asylum seekers at the Service Processing Center, Camp East Montana or Otero in Chaparral, and detained asylum hearings often come within weeks.
- El Paso asylum applicants can request a work permit after the application has been pending 150 days, and a grant allows a green card application after one year.
- Phone
- (915) 221-1649
- Reviewed
- October 19, 2026
Two ways an asylum case starts in El Paso
An affirmative case begins when a person who is not in removal proceedings files Form I-589 with USCIS within one year of arriving. Fingerprints are taken at the Application Support Center at 10500 Montwood, and the interview is scheduled by the USCIS asylum office that covers West Texas; we confirm the location when the notice arrives, because interviews are sometimes held at USCIS offices closer to the applicant. If the asylum office does not grant the case, it refers the applicant to the El Paso Immigration Court, where the claim is heard again from the beginning. A defensive case begins in court, and most El Paso asylum cases are defensive: the person was placed in proceedings after crossing, after a credible fear interview, or after an arrest. People who are not detained are heard at the El Paso Immigration Court at 700 E. San Antonio Avenue, Suite 750, which also hears cases that began at the Paso del Norte port of entry and the El Paso Sector processing center. People in ICE custody are heard at the El Paso SPC Immigration Court at 8915 Montana Avenue, inside the Service Processing Center. Detained asylum hearings move fast, often within weeks, and the evidence has to be assembled on that schedule.
ICE's El Paso field office holds people at the Service Processing Center on Montana Avenue, at Camp East Montana at 6920 Digital Road on Fort Bliss, and at the Otero County Processing Center in Chaparral, New Mexico. A person who expressed a fear of return at the border usually has a credible fear interview with an asylum officer while detained; a negative finding can be reviewed by an immigration judge, and that review happens quickly. We take these cases at the credible fear stage whenever a family calls early enough. For Camp East Montana, the immigration court does not publish which docket hears its cases, so we confirm the court and the hearing format with the clerk before filing.
Claims from Mexico, and what comes after a grant
Many El Paso asylum seekers are from Chihuahua and the surrounding states, and their claims turn on evidence that is in Mexico: police reports that were filed or refused, threats from organized crime, the involvement or indifference of local authorities, and the treatment of a specific group such as journalists, business owners who refused extortion, LGBTQ people, or families of people already killed. Our Juárez and Chihuahua offices gather those records, locate witnesses and obtain declarations in Spanish, which we translate and file with the court. Country-conditions evidence for a particular municipality carries more weight than general reports. While the case is pending, an applicant can request a work permit after the application has been pending for 150 days. USCIS and the immigration courts now charge a filing fee for asylum and an annual fee while the application is pending; we confirm the current figures at the consultation. A grant of asylum allows the person to apply for a green card after one year, which is an adjustment case at the USCIS El Paso Field Office on Hawkins Boulevard, and to petition for a spouse and children who are still in Mexico. A denial by the immigration judge can be appealed to the Board of Immigration Appeals within 30 days.
Asylum cases we handle in El Paso
- A family from Chihuahua that crossed at the Paso del Norte bridge, passed a credible fear interview and now has a hearing at the downtown El Paso court
- A person detained at the El Paso Service Processing Center with a negative credible fear finding who needs immigration judge review within days
- A relative held at Camp East Montana who fears return and whose family cannot find out which court has the case
- A Juárez business owner who refused extortion payments and fled across the bridge with police reports in hand
- A person in El Paso for almost a year who has not yet filed and needs the I-589 filed before the deadline
- An applicant whose affirmative case was referred by the asylum office to the El Paso Immigration Court
- A Central American asylum seeker transferred from New Mexico to the Otero County Processing Center
- An asylee in El Paso who was granted a year ago and is ready to apply for a green card at the Hawkins office
Sound like your situation? Request a consultation or call (915) 221-1649.
How we handle an asylum case from El Paso
Intake and deadline check
We establish the date of last arrival, whether the person is in proceedings or detained, which court or office has the case, and what the one-year deadline means for the filing.
The story and the legal theory
We take the client's full account in Spanish or English over several sessions, identify the protected ground and the persecutor, and write a declaration that the court can rely on.
Evidence from both sides of the border
Our Juárez and Chihuahua offices collect police reports, medical records, witness declarations and local country-conditions evidence; we add expert and documentary evidence from the U.S. side.
Filing and hearing
We file the I-589 with USCIS or with the court, prepare the client for the asylum interview or the individual hearing downtown or at the SPC, and present the case.
After the decision
We file the work permit, the green card application after one year and petitions for family in Mexico if the case is granted, or appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals within 30 days if it is not.
Questions from El Paso clients
Where is my asylum hearing in El Paso?
If you are not detained, at the El Paso Immigration Court, 700 E. San Antonio Avenue, Suite 750, downtown. If you are detained, at the El Paso SPC Immigration Court, 8915 Montana Avenue, inside the Service Processing Center. Your hearing notice names the court; call us if you are unsure which one.
My brother is detained at the El Paso Service Processing Center and afraid to go back. Can you help?
Yes. We locate him, confirm whether he has had a credible fear interview, and enter the case at whatever stage it is in. A negative credible fear finding can be reviewed by an immigration judge at the SPC court, but the window is short, so call as soon as you know where he is. The detainee information line is (915) 225-0700.
Can you represent someone held at Camp East Montana?
Yes. Camp East Montana, at 6920 Digital Road on Fort Bliss, is an ICE facility under the El Paso field office. The immigration court does not publish which docket hears its cases, so we confirm the court and whether hearings are by video with the clerk before filing. We reach clients there through the facility at (915) 280-2270.
How long do I have to apply for asylum after arriving in El Paso?
One year from your last arrival, with limited exceptions for changed or extraordinary circumstances. If you are in removal proceedings, the application is filed with the court; otherwise with USCIS. Withholding of removal and protection under the Convention Against Torture have no deadline but require a higher showing.
Can I get asylum from Mexico?
Yes, Mexican nationals win asylum, but the cases are demanding. You must show persecution on account of a protected ground and that the Mexican government is unable or unwilling to protect you, and the court will ask why you could not relocate within Mexico. Specific evidence from your city, which our Juárez and Chihuahua offices gather, is what makes the difference.
Can I work while my asylum case is pending in El Paso?
You can apply for a work permit once the asylum application has been pending for 150 days, as long as you did not cause delays in the case. We calendar the date when we file and submit the work permit application as soon as it opens.
What happens if the asylum office does not approve my case?
If you have no lawful status, the asylum office refers the case to the El Paso Immigration Court downtown, where an immigration judge hears the claim from the beginning. It is not a denial; many cases referred by the asylum office are granted by the judge. We prepare the court case with the interview transcript in mind.
How much does an asylum lawyer cost in El Paso?
Consultations are available in person at our downtown El Paso office, by phone or by video, in English and Spanish, and fees are discussed at the consultation.
Can my wife and children in Juárez join me if I win asylum?
Yes. Within two years of the grant you can petition for a spouse and unmarried children under 21 on Form I-730. They are interviewed at the U.S. Consulate General in Ciudad Juárez, and our Juárez office prepares them for that appointment.
I am in Las Cruces. Which court hears my asylum case?
Southern New Mexico cases under ICE's El Paso field office are heard in El Paso: downtown at 700 E. San Antonio Avenue for people who are not detained, or at the SPC court on Montana Avenue for people held at the Service Processing Center. For people held at the Otero County Processing Center in Chaparral, the hearing notice says which court has the case. We handle these from our El Paso office.
Every case is different — these answers are general information, not legal advice about your situation. For advice about your case, call (915) 221-1649 or request a consultation.