Refugee Congress Condemns Supreme Court Decision and Calls on the Biden Administration to Fight to End the MPP Policy
Refugee Congress Condemns Supreme Court Decision and Calls on the Biden Administration to Fight to End the MPP Policy
For Immediate Release: August 25, 2021
WASHINGTON--Yesterday the Supreme Court affirmed a lower court decision ordering the Biden administration to reinstate the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), also known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy.
Refugee Congress is profoundly disappointed and concerned with this ruling and what it means for the safety of people fleeing violence and persecution. As an organization built and led by refugees and asylum-seekers, Refugee Congress knows firsthand the importance of a humane protection system and policies that provide safety and welcome for those feeling violence and persecution.
"Immigrants and asylum-seekers leave countries where there is hunger, unemployment, oppression, violence and war,” said Carmen Kcomt, Refugee Congress Honorary Delegate from California. “They are exercising a natural and moral right that no legal norm or regulation should try to stifle -- right to life, and right to survival.”
The Trump-era MPP policy forced people seeking asylum to await their U.S. court dates in dangerous border cities in Mexico. The policy left thousands of families, children and adults who fled violence and persecution in desperate and unsafe conditions.
“The Supreme Court decision to uphold a reinstatement of the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) is deeply disappointing and will continue to force asylum-seekers to languish in harmful and precarious circumstances across the border,” said Nili Sarit Yossinger, Executive Director of Refugee Congress. “We strongly urge the Biden administration to keep pushing back against any policy that impedes upon a person’s ability to legally seek asylum in the U.S.”
President Biden suspended the MPP when he took office, and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas terminated the program in June.
Refugee Congress calls on the Biden administration to maintain its commitment to fight for a permanent end to the MPP. We must end this cruel and inhumane policy and restore welcome and protection for those fleeing violence and persecution.
“Asylum-seekers are people — humans like you and me -- but they don't have anywhere to return to because they are at risk of losing their lives in their countries of origin,” said Valdir Solera, Jr., Refugee Congress Delegate for Hawaii.
We believe everyone has the right to protection from persecution. It is vital that our nation embraces its long tradition of protecting refugees and asylum-seekers fleeing violence and persecution.
Refugee Congress urges individuals and organizations to join us in calling on the Biden administration and Congress to protect people seeking refuge and build a humane and dignified asylum system that respects and protects the rights of all. Please join us in signing the #WelcomeWithDignity Pledge.
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Refugee Congress is a nonpartisan advocacy organization built and led by former refugees, asylum-seekers and other vulnerable migrants to promote the well-being, integration and dignity of all vulnerable migrants. With delegates across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, we use our voices and experiences to inform and influence decision-makers on critical domestic and international issues that affect our communities.
MEDIA CONTACT: (202) 905-6238, media@refugeecongress.org
