Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSSNCA) condemns the Biden administration’s gross expansion of restrictions to accessing asylum - effectively closing our doors to people seeking humanitarian protection at the U.S. Mexico border if encounters are above a daily average of 1,500 - released in today’s joint Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) final rule.
This rule, which goes into effect tomorrow, expands upon the Executive Order introduced in June by increasing the benchmarks for when asylum restrictions could be lifted.
“The restrictions outlined in today’s final rule undermine the legal and human right to seek asylum,” said Kristyn Peck, LSSNCA CEO. “By lauding the success of early implementation of the order in cutting border encounters, the administration is effectively dismissing its moral and legal responsibility to provide a safe haven for those fleeing life or death situations. The asylum system is in need of reform, but the answers are not to deny the dignity and right of individuals to seek safety at our doorstep,” she said.
These policies – shutting down the border until arrival numbers level out at 1,500 for 28 days, rather than one week - ignore the harsh realities faced by those fleeing violence, creating additional barriers instead of offering protection. LSSNCA is firmly against policies that tear families apart and strip away their fundamental rights to pursue a safer future.
Amid a rise in dehumanizing rhetoric against asylum-seekers, immigrants, and refugees, we urge immediate action to restore humane protections for asylum and promote support rather than gambling with someone’s pathway to safety to shore up votes.
