As Congress and the Biden administration bicker over which side can do less to help the broken immigration system, 38 men lost their lives this week when a migrant detention facility caught fire. Another 29 are severely injured. This tragedy has broken the hearts of families and communities across both sides of the border.
Many of these men were there because of a morass of red tape. They were detained in dangerous conditions because of politically expedient and inhumane rules at the Southern border.
The victims of this tragic event are being blamed by the media—with sources blaming migrants for being in the city and overcrowding resources. This tragedy was a consequence of restrictive and harmful immigration policies.
When is enough, enough? None of the recent asylum laws can be considered sound policy for the basic protection of human beings seeking safety. Things will get worse. The Biden Administration’s newly proposed asylum ban will continue to create the exact conditions that resulted in these deaths.
CAIR Coalition mourns these men and shares in the sadness that their families and friends must now carry. It is time for all of us to recognize that human lives are being lost because our government has dehumanized immigrants.
