COMUNICADOS

San José, August 6, 2021

“End this Travesty” 160+ Organizations Tell Biden to Stop Undermining Refugee Protections

Over 160 faith-based, humanitarian, legal services, immigration, and human rights organizations, issued a letter to President Biden today expressing their profound disappointment that the administration’s actions are undermining refugee protections globally and violating refugee law at home.

The letter states, “We are gravely concerned that the administration issued a new order this week to continue to block and expel asylum-seeking families and adults to life-threatening dangers, is escalating the use of fundamentally flawed expedited removal, has massively increased detention of adults seeking protection, and continues to make statements that undermine the right to asylum.”

The signatories expressed grave concern that the administration announced this week that it will continue to use a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) order to continue to block and expel families and adults seeking refugee protection and will subject families to expedited removal, which will deprive many of their right to seek asylum in the United States. The letter urges the Biden administration to immediately halt the use of Title 42 to block and expel asylum-seeking families and adults to life-threatening dangers, end the use of fundamentally flawed expedited removal, avoid the detention of people seeking protection, and stop making statements that undermine the right to asylum.