Press Release
Published on April 5, 2019
New York City—In response to President Trump’s comments today urging Congress to “get rid of the whole asylum system,” Human Rights First’s Eleanor Acer issued the following statement:
President Trump’s statement today is hardly surprising but it is repugnant. By stating that he wants to get rid of the whole asylum system, the president is merely confirming publicly what his administration has been attempting to do for two years. President Trump and his hard-line anti-immigration allies are systemically dismantling a system that is a lifeline for those fleeing violence and persecution. As one of the nation’s largest pro bono asylum providers, we know first-hand that asylum saves lives. It’s as simple as that.
President Trump may be urging Congress to gut the asylum system, but we will not let that happen.
Mass incarceration, trampling on due process, and returning refugees to danger are not the answer. Congress should champion real solutions: truly tackle the abuses and deprivations pushing people to flee, greatly enhance the capacity of Mexico and other countries to provide asylum and host refugees, and set a strong example at home by upholding America’s own asylum protection commitments.
For more information or to contact Acer contact Corinne Duffy at Duffyc@humanrightsfirst.org or 202-370-3319.
