Friend, Every day, in some of the world’s most dangerous places, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams care for people fleeing persecution and violence. So when President Donald Trump issued a series of executive orders this week aimed at shutting out asylum seekers and refugees, we were deeply alarmed.
For so many people, staying home is not an option—and it may be a death sentence. This is why we are calling on the Trump administration to respect people’s right to seek asylum and create humane pathways for people seeking protection.
As Chief Executive Officer of MSF USA, Avril Benoît, explains: “Migration policies based on deterrence, criminalization, and containment only cause more pain for vulnerable people who have already suffered and survived so many cruelties.”
Read our full statement on the devastating impact these policies present for our patients and all people seeking safety.
These orders—which include effectively militarizing immigration enforcement by declaring a national emergency at the US southern border—reinstate some of the most inhumane and harmful immigration policies the US has imposed in years.
The medical and humanitarian consequences of curbing access to asylum are real. We have witnessed the suffering caused by such policies every day–including in Mexico, where we have worked for over a decade providing medical care to migrants and asylum seekers. MSF teams have treated refugees and asylum seekers with horrific injuries from torture and abuse. We also see the severe mental health impacts on people living under constant threat of persecution.
MSF is more than a medical organization. We are an international movement founded by doctors and journalists. We speak out against suffering that we witness firsthand. Bearing witness is as core to our identity as medical ethics, independence, and impartiality.
MSF has spoken out repeatedly about the harmful impacts of restrictive migration policies under the first Trump administration and under the Biden and Obama administrations. MSF will continue to bear witness to our patients’ experiences and speak out about policies that put their health and safety at risk. We ask the new Trump administration to respect people’s right to seek asylum and create humane pathways for people seeking protection.
Seeking safety is not a crime.
Learn more about these harmful policies and how MSF is responding.
Sincerely,
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières USA | 
