4 MAY 2023

Immigration Hub Statement on Sinema and Tillis Proposal to Extend Title 42 

WASHINGTON, DC - Politico is reporting that Senators Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) plan to introduce a bill that functionally will extend Title 42, authorizing DHS to remove asylum-seekers without giving them a chance to apply for refugee protection. In reaction to these reports, Kerri Talbot, Deputy Director of the Immigration Hub issued the following statement:

“Title 42 is a discredited relic of the pandemic and the Trump war on immigrants. Efforts to extend a facsimile of it will undermine a fair process that protects those in need of safety and freedom. Sinema’s and Tillis’ legislation would complicate, rather than facilitate, the urgent task of building up a sustainable and workable strategy at the U.S-Mexico border. Asylum decisions are often a matter of life and death, and it is essential that we enhance both the fairness and the integrity of the asylum processing system. 

“Last year, Senator Sinema was working to fashion a bipartisan approach with Senator Tillis to manage the border with enough resources to ensure fair and efficient asylum processing while protecting Dreamers. But the Senators are shelving that approach in favor of an enforcement-only bill that would create a new expulsion program similar to Title 42. Alarmingly, this proposal blatantly omits a core pillar of the Senators’ 2022 framework to provide a permanent solution to Dreamers while decimating our asylum system.

“At a moment of truth with respect to how America manages and mitigates forced migration from throughout the hemisphere, we need leaders who are strong enough and independent enough to stand up and offer real solutions. But this maneuver moves in the opposite direction. We don’t need politicians to ride headlines to garner attention. We need policymakers to be serious about a border management strategy that orders asylum processing, serves our interests in having a system that operates fairly and efficiently, and reflects our values as a nation that protects refugees from persecution and violence.  

“We encourage Democrats, Independents and Republicans to work across the aisle in good-faith to find a balanced and humane approach to modernize our immigration system and manage the border. But any legislation that seeks to tackle this issue without a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and protections for TPS holders is simply a non-starter.”

FACT CHECK: A recent battleground survey by Global Strategy Group revealed that a majority of voters support a balanced approach to immigration that includes sensible and humane border solutions and protections for immigrant families, including Dreamers who contribute to our communities and the economy. 

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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.