B Stands for Broaden

Good afternoon,

In late June, the Department of Homeland Security announced it would broaden the number of asylum-seekers eligible to be processed into the United States. This decision could permit over 30,000 migrants whose asylum claims were rejected under the Migration Protection Protocols (otherwise known as MPP or "Remain in Mexico") to reopen terminated cases or, in instances where their cases are pending, reenter the United States. As stated in the Forum’s weekly Legislative Bulletin, this policy change "has already resulted in the admittance of more than 11,000 asylum seekers at various ports of entry along the border."

The Biden administration has also announced that it may end Title 42 – the public health rule that swiftly expels the majority of migrant families at the border due to the pandemic. This rule has yielded a surge in unaccompanied children seeking entry into the United States: while the majority of migrant families have been expelled under Title 42, the Biden administration has made an exception for unaccompanied children. As a result, many parents have made the desperate choice to send their children to cross the border alone. In the U.S., conditions for unaccompanied children have been inconsistent, with reports revealing that migrant children at emergency shelters "were served raw and spoiled food, left with dirty clothing and given limited access to phone calls." While the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) has made progress in reducing the number of children residing in these shelters, this policy change will allow more families to cross the border together, and hopefully reduce the need for emergency influx facilities.  

We believe everyone has the legal right to seek asylum from violence and persecution. And we support policies that uphold that right and keep families together. But our strained asylum system cannot, and should not, be the only pathway for immigration. We call on the Biden administration and Congress to implement bipartisan solutions to improve our asylum system and expand opportunities for legal immigration to the United States.

Stay healthy and hopeful,

Adam

Adam Estle
Vice President of Field and Constituencies
National Immigration Forum 

P.S. If you’d like to learn more about the situation at the border, and the treatment of unaccompanied migrant children, we recommend watching these powerful While in Our Care videos by our friends at Women of Welcome.  

NEWS CLIPS TO NOTE:

CNBC: House votes to speed up visa processing for Afghans who aided the U.S.

BBC NEWS: ‘Heartbreaking’ conditions in US migration child camp

CNN: Parents of 368 migrant children separated at border under Trump have still not been found, court filing says

REUTERS: Biden admin won't oppose bid to revive immigration judges union

ARIZONA PUBLIC MEDIA: DACA recipients, undocumented people mark '20 years of uncertainty' on DREAM Act