For Immediate Release
April 01, 2022
Contact:
Mynellies Negrón (202) 993-7844 | mynellies@communicationsshop.us
Advocates Welcome the End of COVID-Era Border Restrictions
Call for immediately ending asylum expulsions and restoring the asylum process
WASHINGTON – We Are Home and #WelcomeWithDignity support the Biden administration’s decision to end the long-overdue COVID-era restrictions for asylum entry and call for the immediate end of asylum expulsions for all nationalities and the establishment of new immigration reforms. The end of Title 42 is a crucial and much-needed step to pave the way for the administration to rebuild a broken immigration system and construct an asylum process that is safe, just, and humane for all.
“We are pleased that the Biden administration finally decided to permanently end this racist, Trump-era policy. This long-overdue decision has been backed by public health experts, advocates and civil leaders, and congressional members for over two years now. However, we join the Welcome With Dignity campaign and communities across the country who are strongly against the government’s decision to continue expulsions until May 23. There is no reason for our government not to implement this decision immediately. If the U.S. government can exempt Ukrainians from Title 42, it can do so for all asylum seekers. The longer we wait on ending Title 42, the more we turn back people who are running from violence, persecution, and other humanitarian crises. We have put families, individuals, and children in harm’s way for far too long, and we must end this immediately.
As we move forward and return back to normal at our borders, the Biden administration must ensure we have a humane immigration system and the safe infrastructure to do so. Our asylum system must uphold our national values and grant equal protection to all those fleeing violence and persecution. Policies like Remain in Mexico keep us on the wrong track to creating the type of country we want to be – a welcoming nation that shines as a refuge for the world’s refugees and migrants. The Biden administration must close the growing gap between promise and reality and fully restore access to asylum without reliance on detention – including at ports of entry – for those seeking protection under the law. We must uphold our country’s core values of freedom, equality, and justice and welcome refugees and asylum seekers with open arms,” said Bridgette Gómez, Director of We Are Home.
“Our border communities, local groups, and service providers stand ready to work with the Biden administration to ensure the safety and stability of all migrants. The U.S. government must coordinate with border groups to build direct communications with them and ensure they have the resources and information needed to support migrants. Such coordination includes funding local groups so they can transition migrants into the communities, and ensuring that they have the transportation, language assistance, and medical care needed to support this transition. Equally important is ensuring that legal service providers have adequate time periods to assess asylum cases and provide legal assistance.
If Poland alone, a country that is smaller and more limited in resources compared to the U.S., welcomed over two million Ukrainian refugees in a span of a few weeks, we can certainly do the same for migrants seeking protection at our southern border, whether from Haiti, Mexico, or Venezuela. We have the resources and the capacity to help migrants and restore a humane asylum system, keep people and families safe and together, and build a welcoming and dignified reception to all seeking safety. This is not a question of resources or capability but the will and moral obligation of the Biden administration to do the right thing and provide equal treatment and protection to all people who desperately need it,” said Melina Roche, Campaign Manager of Welcome with Dignity.
Title 42, a Trump-era policy, allows the expulsion of asylum seekers without due process under the guise of public health order. Despite objections from numerous Congressional members and public health experts, nearly 1.7 million asylum seekers were expelled under Title 42 in the last two years. And according to Human Rights First, there are over 9,000 reports of assaults on asylum seekers at the U.S. / Mexico border. This policy has no health safety rationale for using it during the pandemic as a COVID-19 protection measure, and it violates the asylum seekers’ legal right to seek protection.
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We Are Home is a nationwide campaign fighting to ensure that “we the people” includes all of us. Our mission is to transform America’s inhumane immigration system. We must undo the damage of the last four years and build a new immigration system that is fair, humane, functional, and centered in racial justice, and respects all people, regardless of race, religion, or birthplace. And we must immediately enact legislation that creates a roadmap to citizenship for every immigrant who calls this country home. We Are Home is co-chaired by Community Change/Community Change Action; Service Employees International Union (SEIU); United Farm Workers (UFW), and United We Dream.
The #WelcomeWithDignity Campaign is composed of more than 95 organizations committed to transforming the way the United States receives and protects people forced to flee their homes to ensure they are treated humanely and fairly. To learn more and join our campaign visit: welcomewithdignity.org