| United States 2023 © Christopher Lee |
| Trump’s new executive orders on migration are a devastating step backward. |
Among a flurry of executive actions taken by President Donald Trump on the first day of his second term, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is particularly alarmed by the expected humanitarian impacts of measures intended to shut out asylum seekers and refugees.
“We are witnessing the reinstatement of some of the most inhumane and harmful immigration policies the US has imposed in recent years,” said Avril Benoît, chief executive officer of MSF USA. “These policies put tens of thousands of people in harm’s way, trapped in desperate conditions and exposed to violence, extortion, and kidnapping.”
Even before the executive orders were issued, the new administration took swift action to shut down the CBP One app that, despite its flaws, was the only way to apply for asylum at the US southern border. MSF has spoken out repeatedly about the harmful impacts of deterrence and containment policies under the first Trump administration and under the Biden and Obama administrations. We are once again calling for the development of safe and humane migration policies in line with domestic and international legal obligations.
The right to seek asylum is a lifeline for people fleeing violence and persecution. In many of the places where MSF works, people’s lives are threatened by extreme violence, attacks on civilians, the denial of aid, and mass displacement.
“Blocking people from seeking asylum in the US and eliminating safe and legal pathways for migration only expose people to greater risks and exploitation,” added Benoît. “For many of these people, staying home is not an option—and it may be a death sentence.”
Read more about MSF's work at the border>> |
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