Your Comment Needed: Take Action to Support Asylum Rights
On June 4, the Biden administration issued a proclamation announcing a new policy that they claim will bring order and security to the southern border. But it won’t do what they’re hoping it will do, and the changes mean that asylum seekers will be turned back to persecution or worse. They are taking comments from the public until July 8. Please use our form to submit your comment. We have provided suggested text to start you off, but please note that for your comment to be counted and responded to, it must be unique—so please add your own thoughts to our draft.
Despite claims from the administration, the order will not stop encounters at the border and will not address delays in processing. Only congressional action to reform our broken immigration system can solve the issues at the southern border. And not only will this misguided new policy not achieve its own goals—it will harm asylum seekers who would otherwise get protection.
Congress needs to work together with President Biden to better resource our asylum system through hiring more asylum officers, immigration judges, and support staff; expand on regional efforts to share the critical work of responding to increased displacement; improve asylum and refugee processing; and communicate policy changes to asylum seekers and receiving communities and empower people to make informed decisions.
U.S. law is clear: all people physically present or arriving in the United States have a right to seek asylum. No president can erase that law from the books with the stroke of a pen. Add your comment now to demand better.
Don’t forget—for your comment to be counted and responded to, it must be unique. Please edit our draft to add your own thoughts. Some ideas:
Share your own immigrant experience or that of your family
Emphasize that the appointments available for asylum seekers at ports of entry are far from enough to meet the demand
Note that under U.S. law, all people physically present or arriving in the United States have a right to seek asylum
Express concern that policy changes will not be effectively communicated to asylum seekers, especially those who do not speak English or Spanish
Please add your comment today to make sure it is counted before the comment period closes.
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