Press Release

Washington, D.C. –  The #WelcomeWithDignity Campaign is alarmed by the Trump administration’s plan to upend the global refugee system, unveiled at a panel event taking place alongside the UN General Assembly week. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau proposed changes to the global refugee system that would block refugees and people granted asylum from permanent status, adding to the responsibility of neighboring countries, and dismantling core longstanding international protections for people seeking safety – placing them at serious risk of harm, persecution, and death. 

#WelcomeWithDignity urges the U.S. government and all UN Member States to reject attempts to undermine these lifesaving protections, and instead, to uphold and strengthen the rights of people seeking safety, in adherence to our humanitarian and legal obligations. 

Seeking safety from violence and persecution is a fundamental human right, enshrined in the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, as well as U.S. domestic laws. Nations came together and agreed to the Refugee Convention in the aftermath of the horrors of World War II to ensure that vulnerable people forced to flee their homes would have access to refugee protection, and would never be sent back to persecution. This principle of non-refoulement is a cornerstone of international law and prohibits countries from returning someone to a place where they face harm. 

The #WelcomeWithDignity Campaign has witnessed what happens when the United States flouts these obligations. In the past nine months, we have seen the Trump administration defy our laws and make a mockery of the Refugee Convention, eliminating legal pathways to safety, gutting refugee resettlement,  and disappearing people who sought safety in our country in accordance with our laws. The American people continue to support the United States offering protection to refugees and asylum seekers, and do not support this administration’s mass deportation, detention, and family separation campaign. We believe there is a better path forward, a way to welcome those seeking safety in a fair and dignified way without the chaos, lawlessness, and deep suffering caused by the policies being pursued by this administration.

We have seen the life-saving impacts of the Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocols in our work. #WelcomeWithDignity’s 129 members include organizations that provide direct services to people seeking safety and have supported thousands who have built new lives in the United States after fleeing unimaginable circumstances. People seeking refuge have made our country immeasurably better and have been able to do so thanks to the permanent safety and stability offered to them through our asylum and refugee resettlement programs. We urge elected leaders and our global community to firmly reject proposals that threaten these vital programs. Our current immigration challenges require forward-thinking solutions and innovative reforms – not punitive proposals that push refugees back into dangerous situations, retraumatize vulnerable people, and separate families. We can and must do better for the sake of our collective futures.

“At a time when so many are displaced by persecution, it is vital to strengthen protections for people seeking safety — not weaken them,” said Rricha deCant, Senior Policy Director at the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP). “The Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle critical humanitarian protections in the United States and abroad puts millions of people at risk and the international community must push back.”

 “Amid the rising vilification of immigrants, we must stand firm in protecting asylum seekers in the United States. At the very moment the federal government seeks to dismantle asylum law, it also strips immigrants of their basic dignity,” said Margaret Cargioli, directing attorney, policy and advocacy at Immigrant Defenders Law Center. “Just this week, an asylum-seeking woman was assaulted in immigration court. Families are being torn apart as they fight for due process. Unaccompanied children are at risk of vanishing into the system without legal representation. Asylum seekers are subjected to prolonged detention and solitary confinement. Even pregnant women are being confined in U.S. detention centers when they most need protection. This is not only a legal crisis – it is a moral one. We cannot allow the United States to abandon its obligation to protect those fleeing danger. The time to defend asylum is now.”

“Perhaps Deputy Secretary Landau should take several seats on this one– because a nation state that is responsible for destabilizing democratically elected governments throughout the world, through both overt and covert military interventions, while propping up authoritarian regimes and multinational corporations simply because they advance our economic interests, should not be deciding which asylum seekers are real, given that it seems fairly clear we are receiving the victims of our own foreign policies,” said Nicole Elizabeth Ramos, Al Otro Lado’s Border Rights Project Director. 

“Welcoming people fleeing persecution has been a cornerstone of U.S. foreign and domestic policy for decades, and a point of pride for the vast majority of Americans who want our country to continue to be a beacon of hope and opportunity,” said Kate Brick, Executive Director of the Refugee Advocacy Lab. “The move to dismantle our protection system – and the international framework for refugee protection more broadly – is not only out of step with who we are as a country, but it represents a giant step backwards for communities nationwide who have been strengthened by our legacy of protecting people seeking safety.”

“For decades, Church World Service has been proud to live out our values by welcoming asylum seekers and refugees who have found safety in the United States,” said George Devendorf, Senior Director of External Relations at Church World Service. “At a time of unprecedented global displacement, it is more important than ever that UN Member States work together to advance our shared interest in protecting the most vulnerable and upholding refugee law. Contrary to the Deputy Secretary of State’s unfounded claims about people seeking protection, data shows asylum fraud is extremely uncommon and, prior to severe restrictions set in place in late 2023, U.S. asylum grant rates remained around 50 percent. As UN Member States continue to discuss modernizing asylum, we urge all countries to recommit to upholding the fundamental right to non-refoulement and ensuring people’s lives and freedoms are not placed at risk.”

“The Trump administration’s clear intent is for the United States and other wealthy countries to outsource their treaty obligations and shift their legal responsibilities onto poorer countries unequipped to protect and resettle refugees. As we have seen from the administration’s actions thus far, it is willing to send migrants to any countries that will take them – regardless of the human rights situation in those countries,” Professor Karen Musalo, Director of the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies (CGRS), said. “Meanwhile, missing from Landau’s remarks was any acknowledgment of the role that the United States and other wealthy countries have played in creating forced displacement crises around the world, and their consistent failure to comply with their existing international legal obligations to refugees. The United States and other countries would do better to address the conditions that cause people to flee, rather than seek ways to undermine protection.”

“The International Mayan League condemns these egregious and racist actions by the United States government to eviscerate refugee protections for the most vulnerable, including Indigenous Peoples. This is deeply personal, said Juanita Cabrera Lopez (Maya Mam) and Executive Director, we were founded in 1991 by Maya refugees fleeing the war and genocide in Guatemala; which was supported by the U.S. through military aid, training, and financial support. International law protections, such as the Refugee Convention and Protocol, literally helped save the lives of our Maya founders and some of our current team members. Our Peoples continue to face persecution simply because we are Indigenous. The United Nations and all member states must uphold their moral and legal obligations. For Indigenous Peoples we know all too well that colonial governing systems have never upheld our rights, thus for decades we have turned to international human rights bodies to protect our right to exist, our right to life, safety and security. We must fiercely unite against extremism that will undoubtedly cause irreparable harm to millions of our brothers and sisters from all backgrounds.” 

“The Trump administration’s proposal is a violent assault on humanity—targeting refugees, Haitians, and people of African descent who have already been displaced by centuries of colonialism and the devastating impact of failed U.S. foreign policy. To strip away permanent protection is to weaponize borders against Black lives, trapping our communities in cycles of displacement, persecution, and death,’’ said Guerline Jozef, Executive Director, Haitian Bridge Alliance. “This is not immigration policy—it is white supremacy codified into law. We reject this racist agenda and demand dignity, freedom, and permanent protection for Haitians, people of African descent, and all who seek refuge.”

“Deputy Secretary of State Landau made it seem like his proposals— to cut off almost all people seeking asylum from access to protection in the United States, to transfer to other countries or force home even those granted protection in the United States — were “common sense” rather than radically backward,” said Yael Schacher, director for the Americas and Europe at Refugees International. “The U.S. proposals for asylum reform shirk responsibility and endanger refugees worldwide. Refugees International will continue to advocate for non-refoulement protection and rights and dignity for refugees in the United States and other countries of refuge.”

“It is deeply disheartening to see the United States not only stepping back from our longtime role as a global humanitarian leader, but actively trying to dismantle the foundations of international protection and sever lifelines for asylum seekers,” said Nili Sarit Yossinger, Executive Director, Refugee Congress. “These actions must not be mistaken for solutions. They will only exacerbate a growing global displacement crisis while abandoning our long-held values of human dignity, welcome, and inclusion. We urge the administration to step away from this destructive path, and for all countries to reaffirm their commitments to non-refoulement and the principles of the Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocols.”

“Since the horrors of World War II, the United States has been a leader in the global commitment to offer safety and protection to people who cannot find it elsewhere through the refugee and asylum process. The need for these laws and international agreements was urgent then and remains critical now. No person fleeing persecution and violence should be sent back to a country where their life is at risk or their freedom extinguished. As the wealthiest and most powerful country in the world, the United States must stand by its obligation and its promise to protect those fleeing persecution because of who they are and what they believe, including women and girls and all survivors who reject abuse, violence, and subjugation,” said Casey Carter Swegman, Director of Public Policy at the Tahirih Justice Center.  

“At a time when our communities are under unprecedented attack by federal overreach in cities across the country, it is pivotal to not lose sight of the fundamental international and domestic obligations to protect asylum seekers and refugees,” said Jesse Franzblau, Associate Policy Director with the National Immigrant Justice Center. “The international Refugee Convention and U.S. law guarantee people the right to seek asylum. People fleeing persecution, torture, and death, have the legal right to seek asylum in the United States. Despite these legal protections, asylum seekers face increasingly severe barriers to protection, including family separations, rapid deportations, detention, and unlawful pushbacks at the border. Instead of encouraging other countries to fortify their borders, the United States must follow the law and adhere to basic human rights for people seeking refuge and safety.” 

“The movement of people seeking safety is as old as humanity itself — a testament to our enduring spirit and pursuit of a brighter future. Rolling back vital protections will not stop this movement; it will only make journeys more perilous, pushing people into danger and exploitation. And it erodes the global commitment to safety and justice that protects us all. Now is the time to reaffirm that every person deserves the chance to live free from fear and harm,”  said Sarah Ivory, Executive Director for USAHello.

“While the Trump administration plan may be labeled “reform,” its components make clear the aim is to vitiate longstanding life-saving legal protections, said Eleanor Acer, Senior Director for Global Humanitarian Protection at Human Rights First. “The bottom line is that the plan would endanger refugees’ lives by trapping them in places where they face persecution, discouraging neighboring states from providing protection, and abandoning those who are not safe in first countries of asylum. The global refugee protection system needs true reforms that strengthen systems and uphold the rights of refugees, not the global exportation of policies that reject human rights and inflict mass cruelty. The Trump administration and UN Member States should head the call of faith-based, human rights, humanitarian and refugee protection non-governmental organizations around the world to uphold and not undermine human rights and refugee treaties.”