Leaders of Human Rights Groups Urge Biden to Safeguard Asylum Access in the US

Biden President of the United States The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear President Biden: As leaders of immigrant, civil rights, humanitarian, human rights, and labor organizations, our missions include the goal of safeguarding asylum access in the United States. It pains us to watch the core of asylum rights in the United States crumble, and we write to urge the Biden administration to urgently reverse course.

The Trump Administration invented the Title 42 expulsions policy as the capstone measure toward their vision of destroying the United States asylum program permanently. This Administration’s continuation of that program normalizes racist, anti-asylum policies. It is imperative that at this critical moment the administration loudly and clearly defend its plans to restore access to asylum and forcefully oppose the “Public Health and Border Security Act” introduced by Senators Lankford and Sinema and any other legislative efforts to delay rescission or maintain the use of Title 42 expulsions. Four decades ago, Congress unanimously committed to welcome those seeking refuge.

The previous administration did its best to unravel that commitment; we implore you to ensure that this Administration and Congress do not finish the job for them. We stand ready to provide legal and humanitarian services and advocacy to and in support of the refugees in need of asylum in the United States, and we look forward to working with you to ensure they are able to access safety. We formally request an urgent meeting with you and relevant staff to discuss the termination of Title 42, readiness to manage any increases in migrants at the border, and how we can rebuild our asylum system in a humane and equitable fashion. Sincerely, Oscar Chacon, Executive Director, Alianza Americas Anthony Romero, Executive Director, American Civil Liberties Union Joyce Ajlouny, General Secretary, American Friends Service Committee Allen Orr, President, Benjamin Johnson, Executive Director, American Immigration Lawyers Association Paul O’Brien, Executive Director, Amnesty International USA Swapna Reddy and Conchita Cruz, Co-Executive Directors, Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project Nana Gyamfi, Executive Director, Black Alliance for Just Immigration Rabbi Joshua Lesser, President, Bridges Faith Initiative Karen Musalo, Director, Center for Gender & Refugee Studies Dr. Simon Adams, President and Chief Executive Officer, Center for Victims of Torture Rick Santos, President and Chief Executive Officer, Church World Service Angelica Salas, Executive Director, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) Silky Shah, Executive Director, Detention Watch Network Rev. Dr. Sharon Stanley-Rea, Director, Disciples Refugee and Immigration Ministries Guerline Jozef, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Haitian Bridge Alliance Mark Hetfield, President and Chief Executive Officer, HIAS Michael Breen, President and Chief Executive Officer, Human Rights First Kenneth Roth, Executive Director, Human Rights Watch Daniella Burgi-Palomino, Co-Director, Latin America Working Group (LAWG) Traci Feit Love, President & Executive Director, Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) Wade Henderson, Interim President and Chief Executive Officer, The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, MomsRising Mary Meg McCarthy, Executive Director, National Immigrant Justice Center Marielena Hincapié, Executive Director, National Immigration Law Center Sirine Shebaya, Executive Director, National Immigration Project (NIPNLG) Rob Rutland-Brown, Executive Director, National Justice for Our Neighbors Abby Maxman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Oxfam America Jennifer Sime, Interim Executive Director, Physicians for Human Rights John Slocum, Executive Director, Refugee Council USA Mary Kay Henry, International President, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Margaret Huang, President and Chief Executive Officer, Southern Poverty Law Center Patrice Lawrence, Executive Director, UndocuBlack Network Greisa Martinez Rosas, Executive Director, United We Dream Lindsay Goldford Gray, Chief Executive Officer, VECINA Thomas Cartwright, Witness at the Border Sarah Costa, Executive Director, Women’s Refugee Commission Gladis Molina Alt, Executive Director, Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights .

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