Our immigration system requires smart, humane solutions so families and individuals can seek asylum and access protection. The #WelcomeWithDignity Campaign recommends four practical solutions below. The principle at the heart of our path forward is: Do no harm. Policies that restrict or ban access to asylum are unlawful, counterproductive and put people and communities in harm’s way.
1. Restore access to asylum at our nation’s border.
The Biden administration and Congress need to 1) Properly staff ports of entry along the U.S. border to efficiently and safely process people seeking safety; and 2) Immediately increase the number of CBP One appointments available and expand the program to all ports. Every person seeking to exercise their legal right to apply for asylum must be provided a fair and meaningful opportunity to do so, following international law standards.
2. Support existing systems and launch new ones to receive and integrate people seeking safety.
The Biden administration and Congress need to support and fund systems that meet people’s immediate and long-term needs as they navigate the U.S. immigration process. As a first step, the White House should establish a centralized office that works with agencies, states, localities, and nonprofits to coordinate and fund humane reception and integration of people seeking asylum. These systems should provide interpretation and culturally appropriate services and include short- and long-term housing solutions; medical and mental health care, transportation support to final destinations, and support accessing work opportunities, education, and child care. Importantly, strengthening these systems benefits longstanding members of our communities and newcomers.
3. Create a more effective and timely immigration system.
The immigration process is under-resourced, both failing to provide the due process rights of people seeking safety and creating inefficiencies for the government, leaving people in unnecessary limbo. The Biden administration and Congress need to fund more immigration court staff, interpreters, immigration judges and asylum officers. Increasing access to legal representation and information for people seeking asylum is critical so the system can function fairly and efficiently. Work permit applications also need to be more accessible, with shorter processing times to allow migrants and their families to become independent sooner.
4. Strengthen refugee resettlement programs and other pathways to the United States.
The U.S. government must continue to invest in overseas and domestic refugee programs, allowing people with approved cases to travel to the United States safely and reunite swiftly with loved ones already here. Congress should also create additional pathways for people to migrate. These programs should complement – never replace – robust asylum access at the southern border.
There are many practical actions the U.S. government can take to maximize its resources and protect the lives of refugees. By redirecting funding away from failed policies of exclusion, and instead embracing smart and humane solutions that support local communities, we can live up to our ideals and strengthen our immigration system as a whole, for the benefit of all.
Some of the world’s leading experts on refugee protection, asylum law, and border management are partners in the #WelcomeWithDignity Campaign. Below is a roundup of resources that present real solutions the Biden administration should implement, instead of abandoning his promises and reverting to failed policies that cut off access to asylum. Included are both short- and long-term recommendations for federal, state, and local agencies to welcome people with dignity and to address the root causes of forced migration.
N.B. The resources below belong to the individual organizations and are not property of or endorsed by every member of the Welcome With Dignity Campaign.
President Biden was inaugurated three years ago, on January 20, 2021. He promised to restore our asylum system. Instead, he has:
#WelcomeWithDignity and our partners are calling on this administration to keep their promises and restore access to asylum at our border.