FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov 28, 2023
CONTACT: Bilal Askaryar – press@acaciajustice.org
Acacia Center for Justice Urges Senate to Protect Our Asylum System
WASHINGTON – The Acacia Center for Justice, an immigrants’ rights organization that supports and coordinates a portfolio of national and state programs delivering legal services and representation to immigrants at risk of deportation and detention, issued the following statement in response to reports that some Senators are considering a legislative package that would implement an asylum ban, create near impossible barriers to apply for asylum, and undermine humanitarian and other forms of parole in exchange for foreign aid:
“Reported Senate efforts to implement an asylum ban and undermine humanitarian parole near the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are morally reprehensible and may have deadly consequences,” said Shaina Aber, Executive Director of the Acacia Center for Justice. “The proposed deal in the Senate represents a short-sighted and deeply flawed anti-refugee effort that would permanently gut our nation’s asylum system as we know it. We call on Senators to treat any proposal that would undermine our nation’s asylum laws and treaty obligations as a non-starter and instead work to enact policies that welcome people seeking safety with compassion and dignity.”
Background: As reported by POLITICO, immigrant and refugee rights groups are urging Congress to prioritize bipartisan solutions that “make the existing process work better while keeping communities safe. The solutions include: investing in frontline efforts to process migrants, providing resources to cities and communities welcoming them, and safeguarding access to asylum and ensuring the humane treatment of those applying.
