27 JAN 2023
Hub Highlights: In Series of Actions, Congressional Leaders, Civil Rights Groups, Religious Organizations, and Immigration Advocates Keep the Pressure High on the Biden Administration To Backtrack Asylum Ban Proposal
New York Times: “More than 70 Democrats in the House and the Senate urged President Biden on Thursday to reconsider his policies that limit access to asylum...”
Over 450 Groups Tell Biden That Implementation of the New Rule Will Not Only Be Ineffective, but Also Harmful, Inhumane, and Deadly for the Most Vulnerable.
WASHINGTON, DC – Over the past week, hundreds of groups, organizations, and elected officials have taken action to denounce President Biden’s proposed asylum “transit” ban, which was part of a proposal rolled out in early January that would deny children and families who are fleeing persecution and dangerous conditions the right to legally seek protection at the border. The rule,experts say, would ultimately force people to return to violence, torture or persecution abroad.
On Thursday, a coalition of nearly 80 Members of Congress joined the chorus of “mounting criticism'' against the proposed regulation and sent a letter urging the Biden administration to abandon the proposed asylum “transit ban” rule, and instead stand by their “commitment to restore and protect the rights of asylum seekers and refugees.” This effort led by Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker of New Jersey, Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico and Alex Padilla of California, and Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY- 14), Greg Casar (TX-35) and Raúl Grijalva (AZ-7) culminated in a bicameral press conference “condemning the Biden administration’s new asylum limits.”
Additionally, over 300 advocacy groups and faith organizations, including the ACLU, the Hispanic Federation, UnidosUS, and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights sent letters to the Biden Administration urging them not to move forward on the asylum ban, emphasizing that the ban could jeopardize the lives of desperate families seeking safety and refuge. They encouraged the Administration to focus on delivering solutions that would keep families together and make our economy and communities stronger.
Actions by advocates and elected officials include:
Nearly 80 Democrats in the House and the Senate urged President Biden on Thursday to reconsider his policies that limit access to asylum as a way to manage migration at the southern border. “We encourage your administration to stand by your commitment to restore and protect the rights of asylum seekers and refugees,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter, echoing pledges President Biden made during the 2020 campaign.
Led by Human Rights First, 292 civil rights, human rights, and advocacy groups signed a letter to the Biden Administration last Thursday urging administration officials to drop its proposed asylum ban. Key signatories include UnidosUs, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, ACLU, MoveOn, Hispanic Federation, the Immigration Hub, and Amnesty International.
The above civil rights and human rights organizations hosted an advocacy presscall last Friday to expand upon their letter calling for the Biden admin to not break their campaign promise to end restrictions on asylum seekers traveling through other countries.
On Monday, over 160 faith groups across the country sent a letter to President Biden denouncing his proposed asylum ban and urging his administration to “live out our moral call to restore asylum protections and care for those fleeing oppression and persecution.” They subsequently hosted a press call to announce their letter to the public and media.
In case you missed it:
New York Times | Some Congressional Democrats Push Back on Biden’s ImmigrationPolicies
By Eileen Sullivan
More than 70 Democrats in the House and the Senate urged President Biden on Thursday to reconsider his policies that limit access to asylum as a way to manage illegal migration at the southern border.
[...]
The administration has said it also plans to introduce another broader measure that would restrict access to asylum for people who cross illegally without first applying for humanitarian relief in another country along the way to the United States.
Immigration advocates and Democrats, including members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, say the proposal is similar to a widely condemned policy used during the Trump administration. Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus told the homeland security secretary, Alejandro N. Mayorkas, that they were frustrated with the lack of consultation before the policy announcement. Last month, the four Latino senators sent a letter to the president raising concerns about the plan and have yet to receive a response.
Politico | West Wing Playbook
By Sam Stein, Lauren Egan and Eli Stokols
CALLING ON THE ADMINISTRATION: A coalition of 292 advocacy groups sent a letter to the Biden administration urging for a reversal of an immigration policy that would deem some asylum seekers to be ineligible for entry, The Hill’s RAFAEL BERNAL reports. “Your administration’s announcement of plans to establish a presumption of asylum ineligibility for individuals who do not use ‘established pathways to lawful migration’ and do not apply for protection in countries of transit advances the agenda of the Trump administration, which repeatedly sought to impose similar asylum bans,” the groups wrote.
The Hill | Advocacy groups call on Biden to reverse ‘asylum ban’’
By Rafael Bernal
A broad array of civil rights, human rights and immigration advocacy groups led by Human Rights First is calling on the Biden administration to reverse its plan to couple a border crackdown with increased pathways to legal immigration.
In a letter to President Biden, 292 groups took aim specifically at what they call an “asylum ban,” whereby potential asylum-seekers could be made ineligible for entry into the United States by virtue of escaping dangers at home or on the migrant trail.
“Your administration’s announcement of plans to establish a presumption of asylum ineligibility for individuals who do not use ‘established pathways to lawful migration’ and do not apply for protection in countries of transit advances the agenda of the Trump administration, which repeatedly sought to impose similar asylum bans,” the groups wrote.
“Word-smithing, tweaks and spin do not change this reality.”
CQ | Religious groups decry administration's upcoming asylum limits
By Suzanne Monyak
More than 160 religious groups plan to send a letter Monday urging the Biden administration to rethink upcoming asylum restrictions for migrants who passed through another country before entering the United States.
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“Implementation of the new rule will not only be ineffective, but also harmful, inhumane, and deadly for the most vulnerable,” the groups wrote in the letter. Signatories include refugee resettlement agencies HIAS and Church World Service, as well as religious institutions and nonprofits.
The organizations also compared the description of the upcoming asylum rule to the so-called transit ban issued under the Trump administration. That policy, which was struck down in court, stripped asylum eligibility from migrants who passed through Mexico or another third country en route to the U.S. border and didn’t attempt to request protection there.
“President Trump’s asylum transit ban led to asylum denials and prolonged detention for many with bona fide claims,” the religious organizations wrote. “Following in these flawed footsteps leads the U.S. further down a dangerous path that wrongfully places the emphasis on punitive measures, deterrence, detention, and deportation rather than meaningful access to protection.”