Biden Administration Must Reinstate the Right to Asylum for Everyone

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Thursday, January 5, 2022 

Media Contact: Anabel Mendoza | media@theyoungcenter.org 

Washington D.C.— Today, President Biden announced a slew of increased enforcement measures his administration plans to implement at the southern border. These include expanding the use of Title 42 to further bar a vast majority of Haitian, Cuban, and Nicaraguan asylum seekers from entering the U.S., new rules that will bar many children, families, and adults from being able to seek asylum if they traveled “irregularly” through Mexico or Panama to reach the border, requiring applicants to have a supporter with financial means in the U.S., and increased use of expedited removal processes that deny asylum seekers due process. 

Mary Miller Flowers, Senior Policy Analyst at the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights, said: 

“President Biden’s announcement today is a far cry from the commitments he made on day one to fight for racial justice, immigrant rights, and family protection. By expanding Title 42 and capping the number of Cuban, Nicaraguan and Haitian migrants eligible to seek asylum in the U.S., the Biden administration is explicitly denying Black and brown children, families, and adults access to their right to safety.  

Let me be clear: seeking safety is a right for everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, country, or language. The right to asylum should not hinge on your manner of flight from danger or your financial means. Yet, for far too long, seeking safety is treated as a privilege for a select few, and the Biden administration’s cherry-picking of who can and cannot access protection proves this. 

Today’s announcement is discriminatory and dangerous. The Biden administration must reverse these policies and reinstate the right to asylum for everyone who is seeking safety in this country.” 

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The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights is a non-profit organization that protects and advances the rights and best interests of immigrant children and advocates for an immigration system that treats children as children first. For press inquiries, please contact Anabel Mendoza at media@theyoungcenter.org