On June 4, the Biden Administration announced a series of measures aimed at securing the southern border in response to the high number of immigrants continuing to arrive in the country. Among these measures is a limit on the number of people who can request asylum when the seven-day average of daily border crossings exceeds 2,500 at ports of entry. This measure has generated multiple reactions from activists and immigration experts; here we present the most notable ones.
Rafael Collazo, Executive Director of UnidosUS Action Fund
“We understand that President Biden is trying to use the tools he has to gain control of our border. However, it falls short of addressing the comprehensive reform our community truly needs. While the order tackles the immediate issue of border crossings, it misses the mark by not targeting the real culprits — human traffickers and drug smugglers who exploit desperate migrants.”
Maureen Meyer, Vice-President for Programs at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA)
“Biden’s executive order is yet another step toward eliminating access to asylum at the border, violating U.S. law and putting protection-seeking migrants at risk in Mexico or in their home countries.”
“Seeking asylum is a right in U.S. and international law. It should not be limited based on the number of migrants reaching the border, or the willingness of Mexico to accept expelled asylum-seeking migrants.”
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Cindy Woods, national policy counsel with Americans for Immigrant Justice
“It is unjust, inhumane, and contrary to the ideals upon which our country was built. As the administration continues to introduce policies aimed at punitively and arbitrarily denying access to asylum to score political points, real people—parents, children, friends—who fled their homes and risked their lives to try and survive are being treated as expendable political pawns. This Administration must reverse course. Instead of gutting our asylum system, it can and should reinvest in humane and orderly processing.”
Mark Hetfield, president and CEO at HIAS
“Rather than fixing an antiquated immigration system that has been broken for decades, politicians are using anti-immigrant rhetoric to gain votes by stoking fear. And increasingly, President Biden’s actions are implementing this anti-asylum rhetoric, rather than pushing for real solutions that are true to our values as a nation where immigrants and refugees have played such an important role.”
Monika Y. Langarica, senior staff attorney at the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at UCLA Law
“Extensive evidence has shown that restrictive policies do not stop people fleeing persecution from seeking refuge, but they do endanger lives and contravene our legal and moral obligations. The administration’s treatment of Ukrainian refugees has shown that we can provide access to safety and justice for the most vulnerable. We call on President Biden to abandon this political theater and reorient his administration towards his campaign promise to protect asylum”.