CAIR Coalition denounces the Biden Administration’s new proposed asylum rule, which will severely limit access to asylum for those arriving at the Southern border.
The Administration proposed new restrictions that will force people fleeing violence and persecution to schedule an appointment before arriving at the border via a mobile app riddled with technological issues. Otherwise, they must stop along the way and first apply for asylum in countries with weak or non-existent protections.
While the Administration insists that its proposal is unlike Trump-era asylum bans, its very minor differences do not make the impact less harmful. Instead, this proposal is a repurposed Trump-era policy disguised as immigration protections.
“The Biden administration’s new asylum ban blatantly violates U.S. and international law by making it impossible for people fleeing persecution and death to seek asylum under all but a few exceptions,” said Peter Alfredson, Senior Attorney at CAIR Coalition. “These policies were wrong during the Trump administration and are still wrong now.”
This ban will punish individuals who cannot stay in their country of origin while seeking asylum, pressuring many people to remain in dangerous and deadly situations. Yet, U.S. law is clear that a person can only request asylum at the border or inside the U.S.—not from another country. This law cannot be ignored, even with the creation of this new policy.
CAIR Coalition, our peers, partners, and community spent four years under the Trump Administration fighting against xenophobic and unlawful asylum bans and immigration rules aimed at undermining protection for people from across the globe. When the Biden Administration came into office, we expected and were promised better. We are outraged and saddened that these promises have not been kept.
The public has only 30 days to comment on this proposed rule—not enough time to respond to these colossal changes. Furthermore, this ban is scheduled to be in place for two years but can be renewed, which means it could be in place indefinitely. Therefore, we must stop the proposed rule from taking effect. We must make our voices heard.
