Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSSNCA) looks forward to the end of Title 42 on May 11, which separated families and sent more than three million seeking asylum back to harm’s way. We also welcome the Administration’s new initiatives, announced last Thursday, to expand safe pathways to the United States for humanitarian migrants from the Americas, to include increasing refugee admissions and introducing a new family reunification parole process for nationals from El Salvador, Honduras, and Colombia.
The Biden Administration also announced plans for new in-country processing centers in Latin America which, if adequately resourced and protections to ensure safety are in place, would open more, and less dangerous, pathways for those fleeing violence and persecution to be screened for U.S. humanitarian protections and programs.
However, in anticipation of the lifting of Title 42, the Biden Administration has also announced several new immigration policies that will curtail access to asylum and increase deportations. These policies include presuming those seeking asylum ineligible if they passed through countries on their journey to the U.S.-Mexico border but did not apply for asylum in these countries, fast tracking credible fear interviews while vulnerable migrants are in Border Patrol custody, and expanding the expedited removal process.
“While we applaud the Administration’s commitment to doubling refugee acceptance from the Western Hemisphere as well as expanding family reunification pathways for Central American minors, we are disappointed by the Administration’s ‘bait and switch’ – simultaneously lifting Title 42 while enacting more asylum restrictions,” says Kristyn Peck, LSSNCA CEO. “Those fleeing violence and persecution and seeking safety at our borders should be welcomed and ensured equitable access to meaningful due process,” says Peck.
Rather than keeping pathways open, or better yet, exploring new ways to provide protection to those seeking it, the Administration’s new asylum policies curb the basic human right of access to safety and contradict U.S. and international human rights laws and treaties. We urge the Administration to course correct and uphold our moral responsibility to welcome those seeking protection.
