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Friend, To countless refugees who have fled their homes in times of crisis, the United States can be a beacon of relative safety. Those who make the difficult journey to the U.S. hold hope that they may find refuge from violence, persecution, natural disasters, extreme poverty or war. But, disastrous policies have made the prospect of finding safety in the U.S. unlikely for many refugees. Today is World Refugee Day, a day established to honor the strength, courage and enduring spirit of those who have been forced to flee their home countries. The number of forcibly displaced people – including asylum seekers – sits at almost 80 million worldwide. Would-be refugees who arrive at the U.S. border face a broken asylum system that, until this month, expelled tens of thousands of asylum seekers to Mexico and forced them to await hearings in precarious, life-threatening conditions. The policy was designed to deprive them of access to safety, basic human needs and legal assistance. Although the Trump-era Remain in Mexico policy was terminated by the Biden administration after several legal challenges by the SPLC and our allies, tens of thousands of asylum seekers have been harmed. Everyone affected by this policy must have a meaningful opportunity to present their claims for asylum or other relief – including people who received removal orders without even being able to attend their hearings, those whose cases have been terminated and those denied relief without due process. Additionally, the Biden administration continues to use Title 42 to unlawfully and summarily kick thousands of people out of the U.S., denying most people seeking refuge in the U.S. access to the asylum system altogether. Roadblocks in Washington have hurt calls to reform our failing asylum system. After the Biden administration announced new immigration plans, former senior Trump officials including Stephen Miller and Mark Morgan, who both maintain ties to anti-immigrant hate groups, reentered the public sphere determined to preserve anti-immigrant policies. The Republican Party has greeted these individuals and their anti-immigrant worldviews with open arms. Earlier this month, Vice President Kamala Harris regrettably told immigrants in Guatemala “do not come” to the U.S. border. These remarks fly in the face of the right to seek asylum in the U.S and ignore our country’s long history of meddling in Central American affairs to support right-wing governments that massacre their own citizens and embezzle public money. Ultimately, recent conversations and policies concerning asylum seekers have all but ignored the most central issue they face: the consistent denial of their human rights, safety and dignity. This World Refugee Day, the vast majority of asylum seekers arriving at the southern U.S. border will face a cruel and broken immigration system that gravely fails them. To live up to our commitment to protecting human rights, the U.S. must invest in building a functional and fair asylum system. The SPLC remains committed to fighting however we can, whenever we can, and as hard as we can, for a world where all refugees can find safety, shelter and respect for their basic human rights. Sincerely, The Southern Poverty Law Center
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