The Biden administration added on September 30 New restrictions on asylum applications On the U.S.-Mexico border, the policy shift was swiftly condemned by Catholic groups advocating for immigrants and refugees.
“The Biden-Harris administration’s latest restrictions on asylum applications at the border demonstrate an alarming lack of moral compass,” Dylan Corbett, executive director of the Hope for Borders Institute, said in a statement.
this OrderPresident Joe Biden announced through a proclamation the tightening of restrictions that took effect in June. Under previous restrictions, new asylum applications were suspended once the number of crossings at official entry points exceeded 2,500 per day. The ban will be lifted when crossings fall below 1,500 per day within a week.
along with stricter measures It was announced this week that daily migrant crossings would need to fall below 1,500 in about a month before a moratorium on new asylum applications could be lifted. The government also plans to start including unaccompanied minors in daily counts.
“It is disturbing to deny asylum to other vulnerable people in view of the arrival of children,” Mr Corbett said. “We call on the Biden-Harris administration to urgently reverse course, fully restore asylum at our border, and recognize the lives and dreams of the people we call neighbors along the U.S.-Mexico border.”
It is unclear why the government felt the need to impose further restrictions. According to the Associated Press report, Restrictions starting in June Due to the high number of border conflicts, this provision has not yet been lifted. The Department of Homeland Security said the seven-day average of encounters has dropped to 1,800 per day, but is not yet below the 1,500 per day threshold that would allow the asylum suspension to be lifted.
Kelly Ryan, president of Jesuit Refugee Services of the United States, also strongly criticized the administration’s new policy.
“This illegal practice is the wrong answer to a complex problem,” she said in a statement. “The United States should not close the door to people in need of asylum through a numbering process. The United States has the means, resources and ingenuity to run an effective asylum system. Sex. This rule is a final blow to asylum, endangering lives and crushing the hopes of those who truly need protection.”
Ryan said the Biden administration’s new restrictions “come at the expense of human dignity and respect for international law.” “Asylum seekers have been waiting for months in dangerous conditions due to the robotic approach to CBP One’s gatekeeping system and the added hurdles raised by Biden’s initial executive actions.”
border agent turn away She said some asylum seekers were trying to show credible fear, which would have made them eligible for asylum under previous policy.
“This is an extremely disappointing turn for our country, which has long been a world leader in providing safe havens for people suffering from persecution, war or other potentially deadly violence,” Ms Ryan explain. “We again urge the Biden administration to make meaningful, ethical reforms to our asylum system and to work with Mexico and Central American countries to strengthen their systems and expand access to legal immigration.”
She said individuals have the right both to seek asylum and to remain in their home country if conditions permit. She explained that asylum is necessary when the state fails to create livable conditions for its citizens.
Anna Gallagher, Executive Director Catholic Legal Immigration NetworkCalling the Biden administration’s restrictions a “disturbing departure from our moral obligation to uphold the right to seek asylum and protect those seeking asylum.”
“As Catholics, we are called to welcome strangers and promote the dignity of every person,” she said in a statement. “These policies run counter to Catholic social teaching, which emphasizes concern for vulnerable groups, as it puts individuals and families at greater risk.”
Ms Gallagher urged the government to reconsider.
“Restoring the right to asylum is vital to delivering on our commitment to welcome and protect those fleeing persecution,” she said.
Matthew Reynolds, the U.N. refugee agency’s representative in the United States and the Caribbean, said it was “deeply concerned” by the changes and argued that blocking asylum access violated international refugee law.
“Every person seeking asylum must be provided with security and the opportunity to have their claim individually and fairly evaluated before deportation or removal,” he said in a statement. statement. “Restricting or preventing such access violates international refugee law and the humanitarian principles the United States has long advocated.”
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas dismissed the idea that the new rules amounted to an asylum ban. He said exceptions were made in the rules for those who qualified and called attention to other projects such as an online booking app to facilitate asylum seekers.
This report used material from The Associated Press.
