For Immediate Release: May 11, 2023 

Asylum is a Human Right and Moral Obligation, the U.S. Continues to Chart the Wrong Path Forward 

Co-President of Community Change Action Dorian Warren said the following in response: 

“The final end to the unlawful and immoral use of Title 42 today should be a cause for celebration. Since March 2020, Title 42 has been weaponized against the most vulnerable to drive an anti-immigrant agenda under the guise of a public health emergency. Instead of protecting the health of our nation, we undermined our values: Title 42 has put millions of people and families in danger by expelling them at our borders and blocking their access to  protection and safety in the U.S., in violation of our international and domestic obligations. We are deeply disappointed that today we have transitioned from Title 42 to a Biden administration final rule that effectively bans individuals from accessing asylum. Through a number of onerous restrictions, this rule contradicts the purpose of asylum in the first place: protecting individuals fleeing persecution. We cannot forget that the impetus for today’s asylum and refugee laws was World War II. These policies were wrong under President Trump, and they’re wrong under President Biden.

Today, we also see House Republicans advance H.R. 2, an extreme, anti-immigrant proposal with multiple ill-conceived policies cobbled into one bill that only serves their partisan and hateful agenda. The bill is an extreme MAGA wishlist of nativist restrictions and shows a clear and alarming animus against some of the most vulnerable people in the world who are fleeing persecution.

Today we should be celebrating an end to Title 42 and a return to the regular order of the asylum system. While we are heartened to see the Biden administration’s announcements for increased access to refugee resettlement and parole rooted in family reunification, we are deeply disappointed in the new restrictions targeting the vulnerable and the greatest harm will disproportionately impact Black, brown, indigenous people and women, children, and LGBTQ+ individuals. When we lead from fear, we get proposals like HR 2 from Republicans in Congress and recycled Trump-era policies that block asylum from President Biden’s DHS.  We urge the Biden administration instead to lead with our most sacred values of liberty and justice for all. Our values demand that all migrants should have a fair and meaningful chance to request asylum without resorting to harmful enforcement measures, detention, or surveillance technology. We can and must choose welcome.”

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