On Title 42’s Third Anniversary, Border Organization Calls on President Biden to End All Restrictions to Asylum
For Immediate Release: March 21, 2023
“This is not the fair and humane immigration system promised by President Biden.”
El Paso, Texas —On the three year anniversary of the implementation of Title 42, Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center’s Executive Director, Marisa Limón Garza, issued the following statement:
“For three years, the unlawful use of Title 42 by the Trump and Biden administrations has endangered more than 2.5 million lives. It has subjected migrants and border communities to situations that are more dangerous, less humane, and more chaotic than ever before. This anniversary should serve as a reminder for President Biden and his administration that bans, cruelty, and family detention are not solutions to the challenges at our border.
“Through our work, we have witnessed the violence, discrimination, and severe harm caused by inhumane policies like Title 42. Migrants, and other people on the move, are verbally and physically abused by criminal organizations and law enforcement officials on both sides of the border, leaving the most vulnerable to bear the brunt of the Administration's blatant disregard for U.S. asylum law.
“This is not the fair and humane immigration system promised by President Biden. It’s time for the Biden administration to live up to its commitments by ending all asylum restrictions at our borders.”
Since March 2020, Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center has advocated against Title 42. We have provided access to limited pathways to safety and the opportunity to seek asylum for more than 4,696 individuals since the policy’s inception. Additionally, we have conducted 7,837 intakes and more than 140 ‘know your rights’ presentations in Mexico.
As part of this effort, we continue to prioritize Black, LGBTQ+, and Indigenous language-speaking individuals as well as those with significant medical vulnerabilities, understanding the particular hardships and difficulties these individuals confront during their migratory journey.