The Tahirih Justice Center is outraged by the news that the administration appears willing to play politics with human lives. These attacks on immigrants and people seeking asylum represent not simply a broken promise, but a betrayal and we urge the President and Congress to reverse course.

“I am gravely concerned that, if passed, these policies will further trap and endanger immigrant survivors of gender-based violence. Selling out asylum seekers and immigrant communities under the guise of ‘border security’ in order to pass a supplemental funding package is absolutely unacceptable,” said Casey Carter Swegman, Director of Public Policy at the Tahirih Justice Center. “And we know the impact of these cruel, deterrence-based policies will land disproportionately on already marginalized immigrants of color. I urge the White House and Congress not to sell out immigrants and asylum seekers for a funding deal.”

Every day, people fleeing persecution – including survivors of gender-based violence – arrive at our border having escaped unspeakable violence. Rasing the fear standard, enacting a travel ban, putting a cap on asylum seekers, and expanding expedited removal nationwide (to name just a few proposals that have been floated in recent days) will do nothing to solve the challenges at the southern border and serve only to create more confusion, narrow pathways to humanitarian relief, increase the risk of revictimization and suffering, and punish immigrants seeking safety and a life of dignity.

These kinds of proposals double down on the climate of fear that many immigrants in this country already face on a day-to-day basis and will disproportionately impact Black, Brown and Indigenous immigrant communities. Immigrants should not be met with hostile and unmanageable policies that violate their humanity as well as their legal rights. We can and must do better.

As a bipartisan group of Senators negotiate a supplemental funding deal that includes harmful changes to asylum law, Casey Carter Swegman, Director of Public Policy at the Tahirih Justice Center, issued the following statement:

“These proposals are a non-starter. What is being discussed – policies akin to an asylum ban – create near impossible barriers to apply for and receive asylum and put immigrant survivors of gender-based violence at great risk of further harm and trauma. These changes would have devastating consequences for the many people seeking safety in our country.

“The deterrence-based proposals on the table would uniquely harm immigrant survivors of gender-based violence, who face increased risk of re-victimization on their perilous journey to the U.S. Every day, immigrant survivors of gender-based violence arrive at our border having escaped unspeakable violence and Black, Brown, Indigenous, women and LGBTQI refugees are particularly vulnerable. They should not be met with hostile and unmanageable policies that violate their humanity as well as their legal rights.

“The Tahirih Justice Center urges Senators to swiftly reject any attempts to condition the success of a supplemental funding package on these harmful anti-immigrant policy proposals and instead work towards real solutions rooted in our legal and ethical obligations to those seeking refuge from gender-based violence and persecution.”