Asylum is a Human Right
Seeking asylum is a human right. Asylum laws are meant to protect anyone who is fleeing persecution and cannot return safely to their home country. However, the current asylum laws in the U.S. often put asylum-seekers at greater risk. We have a strong plan for asylum-seekers to access the safety, asylum, and care that they need and deserve.
Problem
The asylum system in the U.S. is in desperate need of repair. Not only is it challenging to file for asylum, but the Trump administration’s policies continue to endanger asylum-seekers and will be difficult to overturn.
Asylum-seekers, especially victims of gang violence and domestic violence, women of color, and the LGBTQ2+ community, are often forced into hazardous situations when attempting to enter the U.S. at the border. Many would risk death if they return to their home countries. Immigrants face further complications without sufficient legal or social supports and with language barriers.
Our Plan
Apply pressure to the Biden administration to prioritize restoring the U.S. asylum system during the first 100 days in office.
Provide support to organizations on the U.S.-Mexico border that serve immigrants and asylum-seekers, including legal non-profits, shelters, humanitarian resources and non-governmental aid organizations,
Overturn laws that make it more difficult for immigrants to seek asylum.
Overturn the Trump administration’s “Stay in Mexico” policy, which requires asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico in dangerous and inhumane conditions as they await their immigration court date in the U.S.
Restore eligibility for victims of gang violence and domestic violence, as well as for asylum-seekers fleeing political persecution.
Stop prosecuting asylum-seekers for misdemeanor illegal entry.
Overturn the Trump administration’s rule that places asylum-seekers under greater scrutiny if they traveled through other countries on the way to the U.S. without seeking refuge there.
End the backlog of more than one million immigration cases by doubling the number of immigration judges, court staff, and interpreters.
End the illegal detention of asylum-seekers and refugees.
Increase the number of asylum-seekers and refugees that are welcomed into the country.
Increase funding for programs that assist with resettlement and provide services for asylees.
Hold the government accountable for family separations and abuses in detention.
This Matters
Asylum-seekers deserve safety and full realization of their human rights. Many asylum-seekers risk violence, persecution, abuse, and possible death if they were to return to their countries of origin. The U.S. has both a moral and a legal obligation to support asylum-seekers in finding home and safety in the U.S.