CHICAGO (April 28, 2023) – The Department of Homeland Security and Department of State provided an overview on Thursday of the Biden administration’s plans to deter migration at the U.S.-Mexico border as the Biden administration prepares for the end of Title 42 expulsions on May 11.
National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) Executive Director Mary Meg McCarthy responded to the announcement with the following statement:
“The Biden administration’s announcement raises more questions than answers, but what seems clear is that the administration still refuses to engage with humanitarian solutions that restore a fair process for people who are fleeing the clear and present dangers in their home countries in search of refuge and safety in the United States. The administration seems intent to continue down a path, begun by the previous administration, of dismantling the U.S. asylum system and implementing an illegal asylum processing rule that will disproportionately harm Black, Brown, and Indigenous asylum seekers.
“The administration’s announcement includes promises, but few details, regarding plans to open new refugee processing centers in Colombia and Guatemala. While these centers could provide new pathways for people seeking refuge, or to reunite with families in the United States, they are no substitute for a functioning U.S. asylum system that fairly processes people who arrive at the border and request protection.
“We are concerned to hear U.S. leadership lead with repeated commitments to deterrence policies that are notoriously cruel and ineffective in the context of global migration. This administration promised to move away from detention, surveillance, criminal prosecutions, and rapid summary deportations. But with this announcement, they continue to embrace these flawed and unjust systems. The U.S. government has the expertise and resources to protect asylum seekers and other migrants consistent with our country’s international and domestic human rights obligations.”
Read NIJC’s explainer about the Biden administration’s policy announcements.