SAN DIEGO – At 11:59pm on Thursday, May 11, the federal government is expected to end Title 42, only to replace the cruel tactic with a new asylum ban. Title 42 is a Trump-era policy that has been used more than 2.8 million times to unjustly deny access to our nation’s asylum system to migrants seeking refuge at the U.S. southern border.
The ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties (ACLU-SDIC) condemns the Biden administration’s plan to replace Title 42 with a new policy that will restrict access to asylum for people seeking refuge who don't first apply for asylum in Mexico or other countries they passed through, even though many of these countries lack working asylum systems.
“People fleeing persecution, violence and danger have the legal and human right to seek asylum in the United States,” said Norma Chavez-Peterson, executive director of the ACLU-SDIC. “It is long past time that the federal government stop imposing unjust restrictions on access to asylum. Like Title 42, this new asylum ban will expose vulnerable people to unspeakable dangers.
“The Biden administration must reverse course. President Biden must keep his campaign promise to restore our nation’s asylum laws. The federal government must prioritize rebuilding our country’s asylum and immigration systems, including increasing support for and coordination with non-profit organizations providing services to people seeking asylum. We the People must come together to make our nation’s asylum system more just, humane and welcoming.”
The ACLU-SDIC works to restore and rebuild the U.S. asylum system in strategic collaboration with the national ACLU and other ACLU affiliates in California, and with the ACLU Border Humanity Project, and in coalition with the San Diego Rapid Response Network and California Welcoming Task Force.
