WASHINGTON — According to new reporting by NBC, the Biden administration is pushing forward with plans that would severely limit the number of migrants who would have their asylum claims considered at the Southern border. One of the policies under consideration is a Trump-era transit ban that would unlawfully deny asylum to people entering the U.S. at the Southern border who did not first apply for asylum in Mexico or another third country they transited through, regardless of whether those countries have fair and functioning asylum systems or whether the individual is safe from persecution in those countries.
Jonathan Blazer, director of border strategies at the ACLU, had the following reaction:
“President Biden has repeatedly voiced his commitment to protecting the fundamental and longstanding right to seek asylum. Yet, his administration has too often taken actions that undermine his own promises and the U.S. asylum system. If he were to revive Trump and Stephen Miller’s transit ban — cutting off life-saving access to asylum for all migrants other than people from Mexico — there would no longer be a shred of pretense that he is committed to protecting those fleeing persecution and violence. The ACLU strongly urges President Biden to change course and remove this inhumane policy from consideration.”
The press release is online here:
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