FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 6, 2019
Contact: media@cwsglobal.org | 202.750.0960
Supreme Court’s Decision to Allow Implementation of Asylum Ban Will Threaten Lives
Faith community demands restoration of asylum protections for the vulnerable at our doorstep
In response to reports that the Supreme Court will allow the Trump administration to implement its asylum ban while litigation continues, Church World Service President and CEO Rev. John L. McCullough issued the following statement:
“The administration’s cruel and immoral asylum ban violates U.S. law and international obligations and threatens countless lives who are seeking safety at our doorstep. Shutting our doors and forcibly turning away people fleeing violence and persecution is as unconscionable as it is unlawful.
On the same day that President Trump stated that he would not grant safe passage to the United States to survivors of Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas, the Trump administration now has free reign to continue its campaign of cruelty by denying vulnerable populations the chance to seek asylum. It is clear that this administration does not consider moral or legal obligations when making decisions. It is time for Congress to step in and hold the administration accountable to terminate the asylum ban. CWS urges the administration to welcome and equitably process all asylum seekers, at the border and within the United States.”
CWS has repeatedly decried such heartless and illegal policies as blatant attacks on the world’s most vulnerable. Federal courts blocked the administration’s earlier illegal attempts to impose an asylum ban. This rule is yet another attempt by the administration to circumvent U.S. and international law, and it should meet with a similar response from the courts.
Since 1946, Church World Service has supported refugees, immigrants and other displaced individuals, in addition to providing sustainable relief and development solutions to communities that wrestle with hunger and poverty. Learn more about our work and join our global homebase for refugee solidarity at GreaterAs1.org.
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