An executive order effectively closes the U.S. southern border to people seeking asylum.
The following article was published in the July-August 2024 issue of NewsNotes.
On June 4, President Joe Biden issued a proclamation that restricts asylum seekers from entering the United States at the southern border once the average number of encounters reaches 2,500 between ports of entry. In the month of May, the average number of encounters was 5,700 a day.
The proclamation, which went into effect the beginning of the very next day, June 5, closes the border to all would-be asylum seekers until two weeks after the seven-day average of border encounters drops below 1,500 encounters a day. The order is the most restrictive border policy instituted by Pres. Biden, effectively limiting asylum to only those who have already obtained visas.
On the campaign trail in 2020, Pres. Biden stressed his objections to similar efforts by former Pres. Donald Trump to cut off immigration and vowed to undo them while in office. In a town hall hosted by MSNBC in May of 2020, he explained, “I promise you, it’s a gigantic objective of mine to see… that we have an immigration system that’s consistent with our values and who we say we are, and it does not now. Donald Trump is absolutely violating every basic value we have.”
Critics of Pres. Biden’s new proclamation note its similarity to Title 42, a Trump-era restriction on asylum purportedly issued to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.
In his live address announcing his proclamation, Pres. Biden stressed his differences from the former President Trump, promising to never separate children from their parents or refer to immigrants as “poisoning the blood of our country.”
Still, condemnation from faith groups and immigrant-focused social organizations was swift.
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns joined forty-six other advocacy organizations in rebuking the executive action:
“Maryknoll missioners are on the U.S. southern border welcoming and assisting asylum-seekers in their pursuit for safety and a life with dignity,” said Susan Gunn, director of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns.
“We firmly believe that President Biden’s order does not live up to the United States’ values and legal obligations to people seeking asylum. The return of those seeking asylum to a place where their life or freedom is threatened is not only inhumane, but also violates our country’s legal obligations under the Refugee Convention. We strongly urge the President to reverse the Presidential Proclamation and adopt solutions that uphold human life and dignity and benefit the common good, in particular by expanding access to legal immigration pathways and parole.”
In a separate press release, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops shared a statement by Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, chairman of the Committee on Migration:
“We are deeply disturbed by this disregard for fundamental humanitarian protections and U.S. asylum law.
“There is a crisis of conscience at the U.S.-Mexico border. When vulnerable families seeking safety and the means for a dignified life are labeled ‘invaders’ or ‘illegals’, terms that mask their humanity, we have strayed from the path of righteousness, succumbed to our fear of the ‘other’, and forsaken the values upon which our nation was founded…
“Mindful of challenges faced by American communities and consistent with our longstanding and repeated calls for bipartisan reform of our broken immigration system, we strongly urge the President to reverse course and recommit his administration to policies that respect the human life and dignity of migrants, both within and beyond our borders.”
Two weeks after limiting access to asylum, President Biden announced a proclamation fast-tracking visa applications for Dreamers and immigrant college students and allowing eligible spouses to apply for lawful permanent residence without leaving the country.
Faith in action
Tell President Biden to reverse course on his immigration stance https://mogc.info/SaveAsylum
Photo of migrants placed in holding cells before being returned to Mexico from the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol website.