Human Rights First: NGO Letter to Biden Administration Urging End to Misuse of Title 42 Public Health Authority
To: Hon.
Dear President Biden:
The executive orders your administration issued last week are welcome initial steps toward ending the illegal and inhumane asylum and border policies implemented by the Trump administration. The undersigned faith-based, legal, humanitarian, and human rights organizations urge your administration to swiftly rescind the harmful policies still in place, provide refuge to children, families, and adults fleeing persecution and torture in compliance with
We applaud your administration's rescission of some unlawful Trump administration policies, including the asylum entry ban proclamation, the use of fast-track deportation programs that block asylum seekers from access to legal counsel, and the "zero tolerance" policy that led to large-scale family separations. We also welcome the
Your executive order issued on
Every day that holdover Trump administration policies remain in effect, people seeking
bars asylum for virtually all refugees seeking protection at the southern border and separates refugee families. A deportation flight to
As the administration reviews these policies, each day counts. Many families seeking asylum in
* local Customs and Border Protection and
*
* asylum seekers are not sent to immigration detention but released through parole or other legal authority and referred to case-management services operated by non-profit organizations for additional immigration court appearance support where needed;
* children arriving at the border are protected, guaranteed fair opportunities to seek relief, and relevant agency policies and procedures ensure consideration of the best interests of the child in every decision and compliance with the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act;
* adequate financial, logistical and other support for organizations and local governments sheltering and arranging onward transportation is provided to ensure the humane and orderly reception of people seeking protection in
* support is distributed to
In the coming days, your administration must also swiftly address other harmful and illegal policies not mentioned in the Executive Order that block, punish and deny relief to children, families and adults seeking humanitarian protections in
* asylum turnbacks through the so-called "metering" of asylum seekers at ports of entry, which effectively deprives them of access to the
* detention of asylum seekers, including families, and denial of parole, which illegally punishes people seeking refugee protection in
* a slew of regulations, policies, and Trump administration Attorney General rulings that aim to undermine
* criminal prosecutions for unauthorized entry/re-entry, including of asylum seekers, in violation of
* review politicized hiring and promotion of immigration judges and
* lack of appointed counsel for people in removal proceedings, including children and indigent asylum seekers; and
* cruel restrictions on work authorization, denying asylum seekers the ability to support themselves or forcing them to work informally under exploitative conditions as they wait adjudication of their claims. Delayed access to work authorization should be reviewed especially in light of the lack of federal or state assistance to asylum seekers during the lengthy adjudication period.
Finally, we are grateful to see your administration commit to restarting the Central American Minors (CAM) program, which provided a pathway to safety through resettlement or humanitarian parole for children from the Northern Triangle of
* providing necessary resources to ensure the safety of children waiting for reunification, access to legal orientation and counsel, and application preparation support;
* ensuring CAM parolees can receive
* extending CAM to cover young people who aged out while CAM was terminated or have other relatives in
To ensure communication and address emergent issues during the review of these policies, we respectfully request that your administration:
* immediately designate public
* convene regular engagements between officials from
* publicly provide timeframes for review and further agency actions, including a timeline for transiting asylum seekers forced to remain in
Respectfully,
Aldea -
Alianza Americas
Al Otro Lado
America's Voice
Angry Tias and Abuelas of the RGV
ASISTA
AsylumWorks
Ayudando Latinos A Sonar
Baker Interfaith Friends
Bay Area Border Relief
Border Kindness
Bridges Faith Initiative
Bristol County for Correctional Justice
Capaz Counseling
Children's Defense Fund-Texas
Cumberland Valley Rising
Desert Support for Asylum Seekers
Doctors for
First Focus on Children
Foro Internacional de Migracion Haitiana en las
Fundacion Latinoamericana de Apoyo al Saber y la Economia Popular
Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program
HIAS
Human Rights Initiative of
Immigration Equality
Immigration Hub
Instituto de Geografia para la paz AC (IGP/Geopaz);
Kehilla Community Synagogue
Kids in Need of Defense
Kino Border Initiative
Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center
Mutual Aid Immigration Network
Network in Solidarity with the People of
NYCD16 Indivisible
Oasis Legal Services
Presbyterian Peace Fellowship
Prevencion, Capacitacion y Defensa del Migrante, A.C.
Project Corazon,
Projet Accompagnement Quebec-Guatemala
Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network
Save the Children Action Network
Save the Children US
Sojourners
The Advocates for Human Rights
Transcend
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
UNITED SIKHS
Wind of the
Witness at the Border
CC:
Hon.
Secretary
Hon.
Secretary
Acting Secretary
Dr.
Director
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