Refugee Congress Urges Senators to Protect Asylum System
As US Senators continue negotiations on President Biden’s request for supplemental funding, Refugee Congress strongly urges lawmakers to safeguard critical asylum protections and reject any proposal that would threaten vulnerable individuals and families seeking safety.
According to reports, efforts to dismantle crucial asylum and border policies in exchange for humanitarian assistance and funding for Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel have been proposed.These extreme changes would have devastating consequences at the border and across neighboring countries, jeopardizing security measures, exacerbating border resources, and endangering people fleeing persecution and violence.
“We’ve reached a terrible low point when we start to see elected officials attempting to trade away the rights of vulnerable asylum seekers in exchange for critical emergency humanitarian funding,” said Nili Sarit Yossinger, Executive Director. “In addition to its potential to further harm those seeking safety at our border and undermine our protection systems, it is grossly irresponsible, and sets a terrible precedent for negotiations, which should be done in good faith. We strongly urge our Senators to avoid going down this dangerous path.”
"The rights of asylum seekers and other vulnerable families and individuals seeking refuge in the United States should be protected and must not be used as a negotiation tactic in exchange for supplemental funding that is critical for humanitarian aid,” said Ali Aljundi, Membership Engagement and Leadership Development Manager.
“The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to seek and enjoy asylum from persecution in other countries. As we celebrate the Declaration this month, we must continue to support the right to seek asylum,” said Andreina Zuluaga, Delegate for New Jersey. “I am an asylee and thanks to this right I was able to have protection and to start my life from scratch. Now I am supporting asylum seekers like me because nobody left home behind by choice - they left because they needed protection"
As an organization that is built and led by people who know firsthand how critical our protection pathways are. We cannot sacrifice resources for one humanitarian crisis by burying another, and Refugee Congress emphatically calls on Senators to reject any and all efforts that would undermine protections and rights for asylum seekers, and to uphold their commitment to vulnerable populations seeking safety.
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Refugee Congress is a nonpartisan advocacy organization built and led by refugees, asylum seekers, and other forcibly displaced people 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: media@refugeecongress.org
