ACLU Comment on Biden’s Asylum Ban

WASHINGTON – The Biden administration released its new asylum ban today after tens of thousands of individuals and organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, submitted public comments urging the administration not to move forward with the illegal policy. The rule is set to take effect on May 11, to correspond with the ending of the public health emergency and the Title 42 order that has for over three years denied people the right to seek asylum at the southern border.

Under the rule, people not from Mexico who are seeking asylum at the border will generally be ineligible for asylum, regardless of the strength of their persecution claims, unless they first wait to apply for asylum in Mexico or another county they passed through, or they secure a scarce application appointment slot through a CBP app.

Nearly 20,000 people signed an ACLU petition demanding the Biden administration abandon its plans to issue the new policy.

Jonathan Blazer, director of border strategies at the ACLU, had the following reaction:

“President Biden just ushered in a new period of immense suffering for people already enduring violence and persecution. He has closed off the possibility of asylum in the United States to the majority of people seeking safety – in contradiction with our nation’s laws and values. In doing so, he is finishing Trump’s job rather than fulfilling his own campaign promises. This is a somber day for our country and for refugees in desperate search of safety, but the fight is far from over.”