Thousands petition to end Title 42 on THIS ASYLUM DAY. Faith groups, activists to rally at the White House demanding - Biden restore the right to asylum
WASHINGTON, DC (December 14, 2022)- Today, immigrant rights activists and faith groups delivered a petition signed by over 1600 people demanding that the Biden administration fully end Title 42 – the order that used the pandemic as an excuse to deny people the right to seek asylum in the United States. They are also calling on President Biden and Congress to not pursue any deterrence policies that would curtail the right to asylum or increase detention.
The vigil and petition delivery will take place today at noon in front of the White House (near 16th St. and H St. NW).
For the past two years, Title 42 has blocked hundreds of thousands of migrants from seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. Under a recent court order, this inhumane policy is scheduled to be terminated at the end of this month. But now the Biden administration is appealing the decision and considering new measures that could bar asylum seekers.
“The courts have affirmed what we’ve always known – the enactment of Title 42 was arbitrary and capricious,” said Imani Cruz, Migration Policy Advocacy Coordinator for the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). “The United States must uphold access to claiming asylum, as required by federal law and international agreements. Asylum seekers should be welcomed with dignity, afforded all due process rights, and not subjected to further harm.”
The vigil is organized by AFSC, the Interfaith Immigration Coalition, and the #WelcomeWithDignity campaign.
“For over two years, our government has denied the humanity of migrants who come to the U.S. border to exercise their legally protected right to seek asylum,” said Kristin Kumpf, Director of Human Migration and Mobility for AFSC and co-chair of the Interfaith Immigration Coalition’s Asylum team. “As people of faith and conscience, we are outraged that Title 42 and other anti-asylum measures are causing trauma for thousands of families and individuals who instead of being welcomed are pushed back into dangerous conditions. Today we deliver a petition on behalf of people across the U.S. who are calling on the Biden administration to stop these horrific practices immediately, and instead create real pathways to restore asylum and protect migrants seeking safety and a better life.
The vigil is part of the “Migration is a Human Right” week of action organized by AFSC and partners. From December 10th – International Human Rights Day – through December 18th – International Migrants Day – activists are hosting protests, vigils, and events across the country demanding the right to migrate be respected. Each day of the week will focus on a specific theme or set of policy changes that organizers say would be necessary to fully realize and respect this right.
"More than 73% of Americans support asylum for those fleeing persecution and violence. The President and his administration must reject Trump's draconian policies and move towards restoring access to asylum at the Southern border. For far too long, expulsion policies like Title 42 have denied people the human and legal right to seek asylum," said Melina Roche, #WelcomeWithDignity Campaign Manager. "It is time for the administration to take the moral step towards restoring humanity, dignity, and compassion to our asylum system." -------------------------------------------------- Melanie Nathan, Via AHRC: Interestingly President Biden is meeting with African Heads of State and leaders today, that brings together leaders of 49 African countries, as well as heads of the African Union, to collaborate on key policy across climate change, security and trade. Five countries were not invited- Guinea, Sudan, Mali and Burkina Faso. Not because they criminalize and prop up state sponsored anti-gay terror and violence (these five among at least 33 of them), but because they have changed their governments unconstitutionally and were suspended from the African Union.
Vice President Harris opened the three-day summit on Tuesday at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, where she discussed the African diaspora and young African leaders.
President Biden is expected to join the summit on Wednesday 14th Dec, and deliver remarks on the U.S.-Africa Business Forum. So many of these African businesses and leaders participate in LGBTQI+ persecution and violence - resulting in the forced displacement of thousands of LGBTQI+ Africans- hence asylum being sought from African countries in the USA. So toady this Title 42 petition does impact the many Africans who undertake perilous journeys to the U.S. Mexican border and remain among the least protected community of forcibly displaced, horrendously impacted by Title 42. I doubt that Human Rights for LGBTQI+ Africans is on the agenda. And then again if it is, no doubt a private conversation. That said one wonders if our LGBTQI envoy to President Biden has provided a briefing for the summit. A little more transparency would be appreciated by stake holders.
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