When it comes to the border, President Trump and President Biden have tried to repress the human right to seek asylum. Their inhumane and ineffective policies have inflicted immense chaos and suffering.
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.
Tahirih Justice Center and Oxfam: Surviving Deterrence: How US Asylum Deterrence Policies Normalize Gender-Based Violence
To rectify harms on survivors of gender-based violence, the US must implement a vastly different system than the one it currently employs. It must be one that is humane and that actively centers the legal rights and dignity of asylum seekers and migrants, rather than one that harms them. This new approach requires a significant normative shift in US politics and public discourse. READ MORE
National Immigration Forum: 42 Border Solutions That Are Not Title 42
The following 42 border solutions would create sustainable asylum and border management processes, address the root causes of migration, and implement practical and needed border security reforms. They would lead to a more humane, more orderly, and more secure border. READ MORE
President Biden was inaugurated two years ago, on January 20, 2021. He promised to restore our asylum system. Instead, he has:
The #WelcomeWithDignity and our partners, are calling on this administration to keep their promises and restore access to asylum at our border.