“With President Biden visiting the border this week, he should remember that he once campaigned on a promise to restore the United States’ role as a safe haven for refugees and asylum seekers. Instead, his policies of deterrence have caused a humanitarian catastrophe along the border.
“President Biden must use this visit to meet with asylum seekers who had to flee extreme violence and insecurity in their home countries, only to face extortion, kidnapping and sexual violence as they were waiting in Mexico due to his cruel asylum ban. And he must also meet with the incredible organizations and volunteers who are on the front lines of our migration crisis, welcoming people seeking safety, and exemplifying a model for what safe and welcoming border systems can look like.
“Days after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s attack on Annunciation House’s long history of welcoming immigrants, it is critical for Biden to hear ideas and solutions from the front line non-governmental organizations who know first-hand the solutions of a functional asylum reception system.
“We challenge President Biden to stop his blatant disregard for the right to seek asylum and his continued politicizing of migrant rights and lives. We challenge him to abandon his cruel proposals that echo Trump’s anti-immigrant playbook, and instead to advance policies that would ensure both the protection of human rights and an orderly border.
“President Biden needs to find the political courage to rise above the growing tide of xenophobia and return to his promise to push for common-sense solutions that center safety and human rights. Until he does that, he’ll only be on a race to the bottom as far as who can be the cruelest to those who need protection.”
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