FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 23, 2022
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Henrike Dessaules
516.838.1269
IRAP REACTS TO LATEST ON TITLE 42 ON DAY THE DE FACTO ASYLUM BAN WAS TO BE LIFTED
(New York, NY) – Today, May 23, the U.S. government intended to lift Title 42, a policy that has been blocking access to asylum at the border. However, last Friday, a federal judge in Louisiana enjoined the government from ending the harmful policy, an order which will likely force the administration to continue implementing it for now.
Title 42 is a public health policy, not an immigration policy, but for two years it has been misused in order to expel migrants from the U.S.-Mexico border and deny them their legal right to seek asylum in the United States.
Since Title 42 was first implemented in 2020, the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) has assisted hundreds of migrants in vulnerable situations apply for Title 42 exemptions through its U.S.-Mexico Border Program. Despite the efforts of IRAP and many other advocates and attorneys, Human Rights First has documented nearly ten thousand cases of violence and extortion against migrants subjected to Title 42.
The following is a statement from Jennifer Babaie, U.S.-Mexico Border Program Director at IRAP:
“Title 42 is an inhumane policy that should have never been implemented in this way. Title 42 has never been about protecting public health, and it’s a cruel irony that instead, the program has directly contributed to the harm and mistreatment of thousands of people seeking safety. That this de facto ban on asylum remains in place is a stain on the United States’ ambitions to be a global humanitarian leader.
Throughout the past year, Americans have demonstrated they are ready and willing to welcome refugees and asylum seekers. Today, on the day Title 42 was supposed to be lifted, IRAP calls on the Biden administration to fight for restoring access to asylum at the U.S. border for people fleeing violence and persecution, including by appealing this misguided decision, making better and more equitable use of humanitarian carve-outs already included in the Title 42 policy, and finally treating migrants fairly and humanely in all circumstances.”
Additional Information
Learn more about IRAP’s U.S.-Mexico Border Program: HERE
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