A district court has reinstated the nationwide scope of its decision halting a Trump administration policy which would make people who have transited through other countries ineligible from seeking protection in the United States. Amnesty International USA advocacy director for the Americas Charanya Krishnaswami released the following statement in response:
“Before today’s decision, entire parts of this country had essentially become asylum-free zones, where people in search of safety would be arbitrarily barred from asylum based on where they happened to cross the border. The court’s decision correctly recognizes that the right to asylum exists across the United States.
“The U.S. shouldn’t bar its doors to people seeking protection. Asylum-seekers coming here are often every bit as much in danger in countries that they transit through as they were in the countries that they fled from. Yet Trump’s asylum ban would force them to seek asylum in countries that are unsafe. Asylum-seekers deserve protection, safety, and a fair process.”
Media contact: Mariya Parodi, [email protected]