February 22, 2023

Contact: Taisha Saintil tsaintil@haitianbridge.org
Paola Luisi pluisi@haitianbridge.org, 202-264-9546

San Diego, California – Yesterday, the Biden Administration announced a proposed Asylum Ban, that would bar any person who enters in between ports of entry or presents at a port of entry without an appointment from seeking asylum in the United States if they had previously transited through a third country and did not petition for asylum there. 

Guerline Jozef, Co-founder and Executive Director of Haitian Bridge Alliance, the Black Immigrants Bail Fund, and founding member of Cameroon Advocacy Network, issued the following statement:

“President Biden campaigned on restoring the soul of America, which includes restoring our asylum system. Instead, President Biden has made it a practice of recycling Trump-era policies, like this asylum transit ban announced today. This policy will prevent extremely vulnerable people, especially Black and LGBTQIA+ migrants fleeing from seeking asylum if they did not do so in the other countries that they passed through. This is absurd and illegal and will effectively shut down our asylum system, denying many the opportunity to seek safety. We must immediately change course, uphold our human rights obligations, and create pathways for all seeking safety regardless of how they reach our borders and shores.”

If migrants do travel through a third country and do not meet the asylum ban rules they will be deemed, “ineligible for asylum” and unable to seek asylum for five years. Without a doubt, this policy will put countless lives at risk as migrants’ chance for asylum is taken away. This policy will force people, including many children, into the arms of human traffickers and coyotes who will be left without any other avenues to seek protection. 

Although it is unclear when this Trump-era, white supremacist policy will take effect, the administration has only given the public 30 days to weigh in. We urge President Biden and his administration to reject this policy and immediately change course.