Biden’s New Border Policies Will Cause Harm to Asylum Seekers

Media Contact Email: info@nmilc.org

1|6|2023

Albuquerque, N.M. - Yesterday, the Biden administration announced that it will increase the use of unlawful expulsions under the Title 42 program as well as expedited removal against Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Cuban asylum seekers who do not follow a new parole program to seek asylum in the United States. Venezuelans were previously announced to be subjected to Title 42 in October 2022. The new parole program requires asylum seekers from Haiti, Nicaragua, Cuba, and Venezuela to apply for permission to enter the United States from their home countries, and prove that they have sufficient funds and a US sponsor to bring them to the United States. The new parole program is capped at 30,000 per month. The Biden administration also announced that those who come to the southern border to seek asylum instead will be expelled to Mexico, which is in direct violation of the international principle of non-refoulement.

Although NMILC welcomes additional humanitarian pathways for individuals to seek safety in the United States, it strongly rejects the Biden Administration’s decision to exclude asylum seekers at the border by ramping up expedited removal and expulsion activities. 

Seeking asylum is a basic, fundamental human right, and Biden’s new border policies are in direct violation of our international obligations and American asylum law. But more than that, Biden’s new border policies will cause harm. As we have seen over the past several years during the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) and Title 42 programs, these exclusionary policies have led to migrants and asylum seekers being physically and sexually assaulted in Mexico and their home countries, and have even led to death. 

Limiting the number of asylum seekers who can be paroled into the US, and by placing arduous and expensive requirements for applying for protection, Biden is excluding thousands of vulnerable individuals and their families from accessing safety and putting them in danger as a result.

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New Mexico Immigrant Law Center's mission is to advance justice and equity by empowering low-income immigrant communities through collaborative legal services, advocacy, and education. You can find more about NMILC online at nmilc.org.