“We welcome the end of Title 42 which has kept thousands of asylum seekers from finding safety and has had a detrimental impact on displacement dynamics across Latin America. There are major concerns, however, about the new measures which are proposed to replace Title 42, including expedited removal procedures and additional restrictions on applying for asylum.
“These new provisions will not meet the needs of people seeking to escape violence and persecution in Latin America and beyond. Expedited removals at the border provide insufficient processing time and curtail people’s access to due processing as well as running the risk of returning people too quickly to potentially dangerous situations.
"NRC calls on the US government to consider the humanitarian impact of changes to its border policies, put in place additional steps to mitigate harm and expand efforts to address increased needs. This should include working with other donors to increase the resources that help deal with the root causes of migration while also supporting the protection and safety of people traveling along the migration route, upholding the right to asylum, and ensuring that safe and legal pathways are improved and expanded.
“It should not go unnoticed that the US has taken positive steps to support humanitarian and development assistance to Latin America, as well as increase resettlement from the region, with new processing options now provided along the migration route. But these measures do not absolve our ongoing responsibility to uphold asylum rights and due process for people in need.”
NRC calls upon the US to:
- Continue its investment in increased resettlement, humanitarian response and development assistance, while also investing in correcting the flaws in our immigration and asylum systems.
- Uphold asylum rights and reject the so-called “Asylum Transit Ban” that will only allow people to seek asylum who have first sought it in transit countries.
- Improve and expand safe and legal pathways for migrants and asylum seekers.