Biden’s Proposed Asylum Ban - Public Comments Needed Now - Accepted until March 27

On February 23 the Department of Homeland Security and the Office for Immigration Review, Justice Department, issued a proposed rule in anticipation of the lifting of Title 42. This new rule, by placing new restrictions on the asylum process, will effectively make it impossible for most people to seek asylum in the U.S. The rule, which can be found in the Federal Register, will not take effect for thirty days. During this time the public is invited to submit comments.

The “lawful, safe, and orderly pathways” proposed by DHS has set conditions on asylum that the vast majority of asylum seekers – also the most vulnerable – will be unable to satisfy. Those seeking asylum will be presumed ineligible unless:

1. They schedule a time and place to appear at the border to request asylum by using CBP One App. This requires access to a digital device as well as the means to reach the border at the assigned time.

OR

2. Apply for two-year humanitarian parole, but only if applicants are from certain designated countries. And – they must fly to the U.S. at their own expense, have a valid passport, and have a sponsor who will support them financially. Even if parole is granted, though, it is temporary and does not offer a pathway to citizenship.

OR

3. They must have first applied for asylum in a country through which they have traveled.

Any person seeking asylum unable to meet one of those conditions will be expelled from the U.S. without due process.

These new rules will essentially shut down asylum in the United States. The Biden administration has set the bar impossibly high for most people seeking asylum in this country. Most will not be able to comply.  Those who do cross the border without following the new procedures will not be permitted to apply for asylum and will be immediately expelled from the U.S. They will be sent back to the very life-threatening situations they were trying to escape.

This policy is not only inhumane and cruel, it is in direct violation of both domestic and international law guaranteeing the right to seek asylum.  Accepting those in dire need will not place an undue burden on our resources, nor will it threaten Americans’ jobs. Quite the opposite. Immigrants have historically been a source of growth, and have made significant contributions to our society.

We cannot turn our back on those in need. Please make your voice heard by clicking on the link to the Federal Register

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/02/23/2023-03718/circumvention-of-lawful-pathways

and submitting a comment to protest these draconian new measures. Comments will be accepted until March 27. Your comment, even if it is brief, is important. We need to say loud and clear to the Biden Administration that this is not acceptable.

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