Asylum Ban Exposed: Confronting Injustice at the Border

Recording of the discussion.

Join us for a Zoom webinar on May 25, 2023, from 12-1pm (ET) on the recently implemented Asylum Ban and findings about the perilous conditions faced by asylum seekers from our refugee protection team’s recent research trips to the U.S.-Mexico border. 

Our distinguished panel of experts includes: 

• Eleanor Acer – Senior Director, Refugee Protection 
• Christina Asencio – Director, Research and Analysis, Refugee Protection 
• Rebecca Gendelman – Senior Research and Policy Counsel, Refugee Protection 
• Emilee Cutright – Program Strategist, Veterans for American Ideals 

The Biden administration designed its new bar on asylum to replace Title 42, the Trump-era policy that blocked people from seeking asylum based on specious arguments about the pandemic. The new ban will block many refugees from asylum, even if they are otherwise eligible for it under laws enacted by Congress, based on how they entered the United States. The new policy attempts to force refugees to seek asylum in transit countries that are often not safe. Because these new restrictions will be imposed in immigration court proceedings, they will affect asylum seekers even years after their entry into the United States. 

The panel will discuss the legality, humanitarian consequences, and political context surrounding the rule, and explore the impact it has on asylum seekers, and its particular impacts on Black, Brown, and Indigenous people. They will address how this rule violates U.S. and international law, as well as the fundamental right to seek asylum which is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The panel will outline our opposition to the rule and that of other organizations, religious groups, unions, and lawmakers. 

Don’t miss this critical discussion on the Asylum Ban rule, its implications, and what you can do to help. Together, we can advocate for the rights of asylum seekers and work towards a more just and compassionate world.