Refugee Congress Welcomes Administration Announcement of Expanded Refugee Processing in Latin America, Cautions Against Additional Border Restrictions

For Immediate Release: April 28, 2023

Refugee Congress welcomed yesterday’s announcement from the Biden Administration that the U.S. will be taking steps to increase the capacity of refugee processing in Latin America by establishing new Regional Processing Centers (RPCs), and extend family reunification parole processes for individuals from Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. This is a critical step that acknowledges the growing level of need and strengthens the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP).

However, with the winddown of Title 42 measures, Refugee Congress is deeply concerned about the new regional migration measures the Administration intends to implement that will build barriers to, rather than, protect, access to seeking asylum for people fleeing in search of safety. Policies such as the transit ban, which would disqualify people from seeking asylum unless they prove they sought asylum in countries on their way to the U.S.-Mexico border, and the use of expedited removal, are simply intentional barriers that would diminish equitable access to our protection programs and cause irreversible harm to people trying to seek safety in the U.S.

"This new plan for expanding resettlement centers in Latin America is a great opportunity to expand the possibilities of safeguarding the lives of many people who are persecuted for their ideologies, religions or sexual orientation. However, it is not enough to create these centers, but also to guarantee the protection of our asylum pathways, and to ensure that we are working with partner governments to prevent the addition of barriers that limit the right to, and freedom of applying for asylum," Luis Mejia, Delegate for New York.

“As a Latino and former asylum seeker from Brazil, I strongly believe that the Biden administration needs to do more to protect the rights of asylum seekers at our borders. While the recent announcement of plans to expand refugee processing in Latin America is a step in the right direction, it cannot come at the expense of turning away those who seek asylum in the United States,” said Valdir Solera, Honorary Delegate of Hawaii.

The United States has a long history of welcoming refugees and asylum seekers, and it is our duty as a nation to continue this tradition. We are an organization built and led by people from more than 30 countries who know firsthand what it is like to be forced to flee in search of safety. Thus, while Refugee Congress welcomes these expanded pathways and investments in the US Refugee Admissions Program, we urge the Administration not to take an ‘either/or’ approach, and not consider any regulations that will have the effect of favoring certain populations over others. We can and must do more to live up to our values as a welcoming nation.