1 Year of Biden Asylum Ban, New Rule, and More Harm
EL PASO, TEXAS— The Biden Administration has announced additional asylum restrictions ahead of the first anniversary of the asylum ban imposed in May 2023 after the end of the disastrous Title 42 policy. In response, Marisa Limón Garza, Executive Director of Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, in El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico and New Mexico, said:
"Every day, mothers, fathers, children, and others seek safety and a better life at our southern border. The conditions at home remain untenable, so people will continue to seek protection despite the U.S. government's tired tactics of erecting walls or implementing complex policies designed to illegally restrict asylum. This "deterrence" is not only cruel, it does not work.
And yet, this week, we are faced with the Biden administration’s latest efforts to secure short-term political gain by further restricting access to asylum. This new rule is unnecessary and unworkable and undermines vulnerable newcomers' safety and dignity. Our decades of client experience prove that numerous administrative hurdles result in eligible individuals being denied asylum and other legal protections. For these reasons, Las Americas opposes this rule and will ensure the government hears our objections.
Our 37 years of experience at the southern border tells us that policies like the asylum ban only drive individuals towards dangerous routes, often guided by criminals who exploit them. Now is the time to ensure people seeking asylum have a safe pathway independent of a smartphone application, CBPOne, responsive to the needs of the diverse populations moving north. To accomplish this, the Biden administration must end its heinous asylum ban immediately and move away from piecemeal efforts to impose further restrictions. We cannot continue repeating failed policies and expecting different results."
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Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit providing high-quality legal services to low-income immigrants. Since its founding in 1987, Las Americas has served close to 70,000 persons, with a strong focus on women, children, families, the LGBTQ community, and asylum seekers.