For Immediate Release
December 8, 2023
Contact
Arianna Rosales, arianna@nipnlg.org, (408) 398-5140
Washington, DC – Several media outlets have reported that the Biden administration is considering caving to Republican demands to codify an asylum ban, make it more difficult for people to pass their asylum screening, and expand expedited removal in order to secure new aid for Ukraine and Israel in a supplemental funding bill.
“Asylum is a human right. For President Biden to treat it as a political bargaining chip is unconscionable and would be catastrophic for our nation and refugees around the world. It is heartbreakingly ironic that he would trade people’s sacred right to refuge from violence in order to fund war,” said Sirine Shebaya, Executive Director of the National Immigration Project. “Through this legislation, President Biden would codify some of the Trump administration’s most anti-immigrant policies, betraying his fundamental promise to restore fairness to the immigration system. Reports of expanding expedited removal – which allows ICE officers to deport people without giving them a day in court – would also lead to increased racial profiling, arrests, and detention of Black and brown noncitizens throughout the country.”
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The National Immigration Project (NIPNLG) is a membership organization of attorneys, advocates, and community members who are driven by the belief that all people should be treated with dignity, live freely, and flourish. We litigate, advocate, educate, and build bridges across movements to ensure that those most impacted by the immigration and criminal systems are uplifted and supported. Learn more at nipnlg.org. Follow NIPNLG on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @NIPNLG.