Press Release

Washington – Today, the #WelcomeWithDignity campaign held a press call with public health experts, an asylum seeker whose family members were recently expelled under Title 42, and advocates to demand an end to the obscure regulation used by President Trump and continued by the Biden administration to turn away people lawfully seeking asylum in the United States.

The recording of the press call can be found here.

“Title 42 effectively functions as a family separation policy,” said Representative Judy Chu, CA-27. “Asylum seekers who have a legal right to be here should have an opportunity to be heard. The decision to phase out Title 42, as it pertains to families, is an important step but just a first one in on our ongoing work to restore our values at the border.”

“Asylum seekers are currently being turned away at the border, including my own family members, and are suffering just like I did,” said Jacqueline Flores, a member of the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project (ASAP). “History does not have to repeat itself — President Biden and the U.S. government have the power to change the lives of thousands of asylum seekers by letting them apply for asylum right now.”

“The current science that underpins our understanding of COVID-19 transmission provides no public health rationale for disparate treatment based on immigration status alone OR between single adults and families,” said Dr. Michele Heisler, Medical Director for Physicians for Human Rights. “Title 42 is unscientific, not based in public health and creates health harms. It is essential that Title 42’s illegal expulsions of asylum seekers end—whether they are minors, families, or single adults. We urge the Biden administration to advance legislation and executive actions which center public health and human rights in U.S. immigration and asylum policy.”

“Turning away single individuals at the border effectively creates a ban on LGBTQ refugees,” said Aaron Morris, Executive Director, Immigration Equality. “The President must end Title 42 immediately. If he does not, LGBTQ people will continue to be brutalized and killed at our doorstep.”

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Join the movement and sign our pledge to #WelcomeWithDignity here.  

The Welcome with Dignity Campaign is composed of more than 80 organizations committed to transforming the way the United States receives and protects people forced to flee their homes to ensure they are treated humanely and fairly. To learn more and join our campaign visit: welcomewithdignity.org