Washington, DC – On Friday, rabbis, pastors, doctors, public health experts, and human rights leaders delivered more than 200,000 signatures to the White House demanding President Biden and the Center for Disease Control to take immediate action to restore the right to seek asylum by ending Trump-era, asylum-blocking policies such as Title 42 and ‘Remain in Mexico.’ The petition delivery and vigil was the final event of a week of action organized by the #WelcomeWithDignity campaign during which constituents, advocates, and experts met with dozens of congressional offices to demand restored access to asylum. Watch the recording here.
“Haitians have contributed to this great nation over generations as brave soldiers, doctors, nurses, pilots, pastors, and business leaders. Yet, Haitians continue to suffer because of bad and racist policies that demean our shared history,” said Rev. Daniel Ulysse, General Secretary, Haitian Evangelical Clergy Association. “We demand justice and equality in this country that we have helped to make strong. As faith leaders, we remember President Biden’s promises to our community to end the policy of Title 42, halt Haitian deportations, and stop supporting the current government of Haiti which is pushing Haitians to need to flee. Today, we deliver our letter from more than 1,000 faith leaders to urge that asylum protections be restored. As we deliver it, we insist you likewise deliver on your promises made to end the cruel policies that continue to cause pain and separate families.”
“The medical community knows that Title 42 does not keep anyone safe,” stated Dr. Kate Sugarman, Family Physician, co-chair of Doctors for Camp Closure Maryland, and adjunct faculty at Georgetown Law School asylum clinic. “Trapping people on the other side of the U.S. southern border is bad public health policy. We know how to control covid and that doesn’t include Title 42.”
“I fled persecution to the US from Colombia and applied for asylum in 2009. There was a clear and safe process I could follow and I am now a US citizen. At this moment, the right to life is not being respected at the US border; people, especially Haitians and Africans have been abused by the policies of the US government, denying them access to the right to apply for asylum under safe conditions and in some cases returning them to their potential deaths,” stated Karina Urrego Restrepo, leader with American Friends Service Committee, Not1More, Colorado project. “As a person whose life was saved by asylum, I am asking President Biden to immediately stop Title 42. It is not a request from a political party, it is a humanitarian request, it is a humanitarian emergency.”
“More than 200,000 people have joined us to say: the United States must uphold the fundamental human right to seek asylum,” said Melina Roche, #WelcomeWithDignity Campaign Manager. “This week experts, advocates and constituents met with Congress and delivered petitions to the administration spelling out solutions on how the United States can restore our asylum system to once again be a beacon of hope for people seeking safety. It’s past time for President Biden to end racist policies promulgated by the Trump administration and uphold the dignity of people seeking asylum.”
“For over a year and a half, HIAS and other Jewish voices have consistently and repeatedly called for the end of Title 42 expulsions,” said Rebecca Kirzner, Senior Director of Grassroots Campaigns at HIAS. “Title 42 is an abuse of our public health laws that puts people in danger and denies them their right to seek asylum. This petition represents thousands of people calling on the administration to stop this horrific policy, and the petition also represents thousands of people urging Congress to join our effort to restore asylum at the border. Policymakers must stop making excuses, uphold our American values, and end Title 42 expulsions.”
“Migration is a human right, and Daily Kos urges Pres. Biden to reverse the racist, anti-immigrant Title 42 policy. Now more than ever, asylum seekers need protection and safety–their lives depend on it,” stated Carolyn Fiddler, communications director for Daily Kos. “Expulsions are inhumane, and they become even more so during an ongoing pandemic. Ending Title 42 and Migrant Protection Protocols are crucial steps we can take to ensure that asylum seekers receive due process.”
“We are not only asking for an end to Title 42 and an end to deportations,” stated Rev. Dr. Sharon Stanley-Rea, Disciples Refugee & Immigration Ministries. “We are asking for a restoration of the values that have brought each one of us here to this place: values to welcome immigrants with dignity, values to offer protections to those who are fleeing abuse and violence in their homes. These are the values of our multiple faiths that call us to welcome the sojourner and respect the dignity in every created human life. These are also the values of the many doctor partners here today… values to heal and not to harm, to help and not to humiliate.”
“Using Title 42 to block the entry of refugees into the U.S. is an absolute abomination. It goes against what Americans have stood for throughout our nation’s history—creating a safe and prosperous future for people who escape persecution,” said Aaron C. Morris, Executive Director, Immigration Equality. “The hard truth is that the policy is really about keeping vulnerable human beings out. People who are LGBTQ or living with HIV, Black and African migrants, are all at extreme risk in Mexico. Anti-LGBTQ and racist violence at the border is well-documented. Title 42 is not protecting America’s health; it’s putting immigrants and refugees in mortal peril.”
“The Biden administration promised to adopt a fairer and more humane approach to the asylum process at the southern border,” said Jonathan Blazer, Director of Border Strategies at the ACLU. “But his continuation of Trump-era policies continues to place people who seek safety in grave danger. It is past time to bring a complete end to policies – such as Title 42 and the Remain in Mexico program – that unlawfully prevent people seeking protection at the border from pursuing their asylum claims in the U.S. The Biden administration can and must do better, by using tools at its disposal to safely screen people seeking asylum at the border, and by investing in community-based services that offer critical support and welcome people with dignity.”
SPEAKERS:
- Dr. Kate Sugarman, Family Physician, co-chair of Doctors for Camp Closure Maryland, adjunct faculty at Georgetown Law School asylum clinic
- Karina Urrego Restrepo, American Friends Service Committee, Not1More, Colorado
- Dr. Zackary Berger, Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Staff Physician, Esperanza Center Health Clinic
- Rabbi Daniel Burg, Beth Am Synagogue, Baltimore, Maryland
- Rev. Dr. Sharon Stanley-Rea, Disciples Refugee & Immigration Ministries
- Bilal Askaryar, #WelcomeWithDignity Campaign
- Rev. Daniel Ulysse, General Secretary, Haitian Evangelical Clergy
COSPONSORS: Doctors for Camp Closure, Interfaith Immigration Coalition, American Friends Service Committee, Church World Service, Disciples Refugee & Immigration Ministries, Welcome With Dignity
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition is made up of over 55 national, faith-based organizations brought together across many theological traditions with a common call to seek just policies that lift up the God-given dignity of every individual. In partnership, we work to protect the rights, dignity, and safety of all refugees and migrants. Follow us on Twitter @interfaithimm
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