8 FEB 2023 

Immigration Hub Commends Biden for Calling for Immigration Reform But Cautions the White House Against ProposingReported Asylum Ban

In reaction to President Biden’s State of the Union speech, Kerri Talbot, Deputy Director of the Immigration Hub issued the following statement: 

“Last night during his State of the Union address, President Biden once again called on Congress to do its job and finally enact long overdue immigration reform. We commend him for challenging members of Congress to step up. The fact is that the President introduced a sweeping legislative proposal the first week of his presidency. He did so because it is widely recognized that the only way to truly fix our dysfunctional system is through legislation. 

“Unfortunately, Republicans have made it clear they intend to play political games with immigration instead of fixing it, leaving the Biden administration to do what it can on its own. 

“We applaud the President’s call to enact immigration reform that both manages our border and creates a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, TPS holders, farm workers and essential workers. We plan to hold the President accountable to this call to action. Congress and the administration should not pursue bandaids or harmful bills that gut asylum or fail to address the immigration system in a balanced manner.

“We recognize that Congressional failure to provide resources to the administration has hamstrung the Biden administration in its efforts to enhance border security. While we are supportive of the Biden administration’s many efforts to bring forth a fair, humane and functional immigration and border management system, we caution the White House to avoid changes that go too far and threaten the very core of our refugee protection system. News reports and recent court filings suggest the administration is set to propose a “transit ban” – a Trump-era excess that was struck down by federal courts. A transit ban is a barely-disguised backdoor asylum ban that stops people on U.S. soil from applying for asylum as required under law. 

“We stand ready to support this administration as it faces the challenges of forced migration in the Americas, but we urge the White House to ensure that asylum seekers and refugees can still seek protection from persecution. We hope that the White House will continue to focus on a common sense approach that secures the border, protects asylum while reforming the system to make it more efficient, and legalizes long-term residents.” 

###

The Immigration Hub is a national organization dedicated to advancing fair and just immigration policies through strategic leadership, innovative communications strategies, legislative advocacy and collaborative partnerships.