Biden’s New Border Measures Will Exacerbate an Already Dire Situation for People Seeking Asylum at U.S. Border

Washington, D.C. – Today, President Biden announced a series of new border measures, including the expansion of Title 42 to individuals from Nicaragua, Cuba, and Haiti seeking asylum at the border, and a plan to implement a version of the Trump administration’s asylum ban.

In response to today’s announcement, Savitri Arvey, senior policy advisor at the Women’s Refugee Commission’s Migrant Rights and Justice program, issued the following statement:

“The Women’s Refugee Commission condemns the Biden administration’s decision to expand the Trump-era Title 42 expulsions to new nationalities and we are gravely concerned about plans to revive a version of the Trump-era ban on asylum for individuals who traveled through another country.

“While we support the creation of additional legal pathways to come to the United States, such programs cannot replace access to asylum. Many people who arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border are fleeing for their lives and cannot afford to wait in their home countries. Many others do not have a U.S. sponsor to grant them eligibility to parole programs. This approach does not present a solution — it instead will exacerbate the danger — for many of the most vulnerable individuals in need of our protection.

“Cubans, Nicaraguans, and Haitians who will now be forced back to Mexico under Title 42 after trying to exercise their right to seek asylum will be at increased risk of extortion, kidnapping, and assault. As we’ve seen with the continued expulsions of Mexicans, Central Americans and Venezuelans, Black, Indigenous, LGBTQI+ people, and other vulnerable asylum seekers face xenophobia, persecution, and unsafe conditions in Mexico.

“It is U.S. law that people can apply for asylum, regardless of their nationality or manner of entry. We urge the Biden administration to uphold the right to seek asylum, not expand Trump-era anti-asylum policies.”

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