Press Release
Published on July 12, 2018
New York City—In response to new guidance put forth by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that aims to block those seeking protection from asylum, Human Rights First’s Eleanor Acer issued the following statement:
After the fiasco of family separation and threats of mass family incarceration, the Trump Administration is now pushing for the mass summary deportation of persecuted families and other asylum seekers. This latest move is a flagrant attempt to block families and others fleeing deadly persecution and violence from even applying for asylum and working with attorneys to prove their eligibility for protection.
The consequences will be irreversible both for the families and other refugees who will be returned to danger, and to the United States’ already tarnished reputation as a humanitarian leader. The Trump Administration’s attempts to block refugees from protection violate both U.S. laws designed to protect refugees from return to persecution and U.S. commitments under the Refugee Convention and its Protocol.
