At this moment, the inhumane and immoral Title 42 policy, a Trump era policy which produced a humanitarian disaster that blocks and expels individuals seeking refuge at the U.S. southern border, remains in place. This policy has wrongfully expelled over 1.8 million people to danger without due process or the opportunity to seek asylum, forcing people back to danger in Mexico or the harm they fled. It has proven to be a discriminatory policy, particularly targeting Haitians and other Black migrants seeking safety. Since January 2021, more than 20,000 Haitian migrants have been deported to the Caribbean.
On May 20th, 2022, a federal judge in Louisiana issued a preliminary injunction that blocked the Biden administration’s plan to terminate Title 42 expulsions by May 23rd in Arizona v. CDC. At the same time, anti-asylum measures have been introduced in an attempt to keep Title 42 in place, including the Public Health and Border Security Act of 2022. This bill would make it difficult or impossible to rescind Title 42 and would force the CDC and DHS to keep border expulsions in place – contradicting the CDC’s scientific analysis which found that the expulsion policy is not necessary to protect public health. Seeking asylum is protected right under our laws, and international law – but we’re seeing at this moment an inhumane and extremely harmful political game with people’s lives seeking safety.
Your voice matters. It is vital that we speak out against this anti-asylum policy and urge the administration to welcome people with dignity by immediately ending the use of the unlawful and immoral Title 42 policy and fully restore asylum protections.
Click “Send Email” or “Call Me” on the right to Contact Your 2 Senators and 1 Representative
You will be able to send an email or receive a phone call that connects you to your Members of Congress. Please make sure to insert your city/town in the highlighted portion.
Sample Email/Script: “I’m your constituent from [CITY/TOWN], and [as a faith leader/refugee leader] I am deeply disturbed to see people seeking asylum still being turned away and expelled under the misuse of the immoral and unlawful Title 42 policy. Under the policy, thousands of Haitian and other asylum seeking families and adults have been expelled to the very danger they fled.
I am also deeply concerned to see new proposals attempting to keep the immoral policy in place, including the Public Health and Border Security Act of 2022. The Title 42 policy has been misused under the false pretense of public health to expel over 1.8 million vulnerable individuals seeking refuge at the U.S. southern border back to the very danger they fled without due process. This bill would make it difficult to rescind this policy and would put Ukrainians, Afghans, Venezuelans, Cubans and others seeking protection at risk with the potential of being forcibly removed from the U.S. without access to protection and flown back to dangerous conditions. This legislation also politicizes COVID-related emergency public health designations, putting health-related programs and funding in jeopardy as they would then be tied to immigration policy.
Public health experts, including senior CDC officials, have consistently stated that this policy does not protect public health. Moreover, public health officials have outlined the severe physical and mental health consequences for asylum seekers expelled under the Title 42 policy. The United States has the ability to protect public health and safeguard the lives of children, families, and adults seeking asylum and other humanitarian protection – just like we have for non-asylum seekers during the pandemic.
I urge you to oppose this dangerous bill and any anti-asylum measures that would keep the inhumane Title 42 policy in place. I also urge you to tell the Biden administration to ensure the safety and dignity of migrants, and halt all expulsions of asylum seekers to danger, working in close coordination with groups and communities who stand ready to welcome them.”
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Resources
- CWS Statement: Ruling on Title 42 Takes Away from Communities, Disregards Public Health Officials, and Undermines Asylum System, 05/23/2022
- Letter from 300+ national and binational organizations
- JAC Responds to CDC Order and DHS Announcement of Title 42 Wind Down with Cautious Optimism; Urges Full and Immediate Restoration of U.S. Asylum System
- Human Rights First: Ten Reasons to End the Title 42 Policy
- Op-ED – Physicians: To restore public trust, the CDC must stop legitimizing the expulsion of asylum seekers
- Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH): Update on the Human Rights and Rule of Law Situation in Haiti
- Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC): Asylum Denied – Remain in Mexico 2.0
- Refugees International: Report by Espacio Migrante and Haitian Bridge Alliance Recommends New Approach to Migrants and Asylum Seekers in Tijuana
- Joint Letter to Administration Responding to RMX 2.0 and Title 42 Continuation
- The Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry Commentary: Psychiatrists Call for End to Cruel and Harmful Immigration Policy (Title 42)
- Joint Report: The U.S. Must Stop Deportations and Abuse Against Haitians
- Press Release: Federal Class Action Lawsuit Alleges Racist and Abusive Treatment of Haitian Migrants in Del Rio, Texas
- Human Rights First: Two Years of Suffering: Biden Administration Continues Use of Discredited Title 42 Order to Flout Refugee Law
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Advocacy: Title 42 Points to Need for Humane Asylum System
- Joint Statement: We Are Ready to Welcome Asylum Seekers: Border and Front-line Welcoming Providers and Advocates Oppose Keeping Title 42 in Place
- Leaders Letter to POTUS on Title 42
- The Leadership Conference’s Title 42 letter to Congress
- The Leadership Conference’s Title 42 letter to Congress
- Haitian Bridge Alliance and Human Rights First Report on Title 42
- The Title 42 Expulsion Policy Does Nothing To Prevent the Spread of COVID-19
- Opinion: The Silence of our senators over Title 42 is worrisome
- Jennifer Piper, CFIR’s Program Director related tweets to the above opinion
- Senator Murray Tweets
- Senator Booker Tweets
- Mother Jones piece on border groups preparedness
- Religion News Service Op Ed by Barbara Weinstein, Mary Novak
- CAP analysis
- Footage of Rep. Pressley from press conference
- Restoring the Legal Right to Seek Asylum: The Case For Ending Title 42
- Three Consequences of Keeping Title 42 in Place at the U.S. Mexico Border
- End Title 42 Today Toolkit
- Human Rights First: Public Health and Border Security Act Analysis
- Human Rights First: Civil Society Letter on Immediate Actions to Mitigate the Harms of Title 42
- Human Rights First: The Nightmare Continues: Title 42 Court Order Prolongs Human Rights Abuses, Extends Disorder at U.S. Borders
- Human Rights First Resource page
- National Immigrant Justice Center: 5 Facts About Title 42: Why Congress Should Not Codify The Trump-Era Expulsion Policy
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