While Biden initially pledged to restore access to asylum that was restricted by former President Donald Trump, his administration has been increasingly embracing bans, in the style of the former Republican president.
According to migrant protection organizations, this measure is very similar to one promoted by the government of Republican Donald Trump in 2019 to prevent the arrival of migrant caravans from Central America. The courts prevented it.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has vowed to challenge Biden’s rule in court, comparing it to Trump’s restriction, which activists have dubbed a “traffic ban.”
“We have successfully sued to block Trump’s traffic ban and will do so again if the Biden administration follows through with its plan,” said ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt.
Abby Maxman, president of Oxfam America, agrees that it will “close the door on countless refugees.” She in her opinion “is illegal, immoral and will have a terrifying human cost.”
The DHS defends itself by saying that “as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants, this proposed rule guarantees compliance with immigration laws” and “access to asylum.”
In any case, he “disappoints” part of his Democratic Party.
“We are deeply disappointed that the administration has chosen to go ahead” with this measure because it “only perpetuates the harmful myth that asylum seekers are a threat to this nation,” several congressmen complained in a statement.
With information from AFP, EFE and Reuters
