FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 1, 2023
PRESS CONTACT
Spencer Tilger media@refugeerights.org
IRAP DENOUNCES PROPOSALS TO TRADE AWAY ASYLUM RIGHTS
Senate Proposals Would Harm Asylum Seekers and Sow Chaos at Border
(New York, NY) – Today, the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) condemned efforts by a fringe group of United States Senators to tie funding for Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel to a poison pill which would permanently gut asylum protections. The proposals would create near impossible barriers to apply for asylum and undermine humanitarian and other forms of parole.
IRAP Policy Director Sunil Varghese said:
“Trading fundamental human rights protections for a one-time supplemental funding request is unconscionable, outrageous, and fundamentally misguided. The long-term result from such short-sighted extremist policy will be further chaos at the southern border and further loss of life and human dignity. Instead of appeasing the xenophobia of the far right, the Biden administration and Senate Democrats should be working to make the United States more welcoming, not more hateful.”
Additional Resources
Read a statement to Congress from 188 groups expressing concern about the potential changes to asylum law and parole: HERE
Read the Welcome With Dignity coalition’s press release: HERE
The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) is a global legal aid and advocacy organization working to create a world where refugees and all people seeking safety are empowered to claim their right to freedom of movement and a path to lasting refuge. Everyone should have a safe place to live and a safe way to get there.
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