The American Civil Liberties Union Litigation On Wednesday, the Biden administration New Executive Order The nonprofit group argues that it would “put a blanket ban on granting refugee status to foreigners based on where they enter the country.”
The Biden administration issued an executive order on June 4 stating that it would crack down on the increase in illegal immigration crossing the border. However, the order contains numerous exceptions, with critics pointing out that it proves to be merely a political move that will do nothing to actually curb the ongoing border crisis.
“Anti-asylum policies are cruel, ineffective and unlawfully violate the fundamental right to seek asylum in the United States.”
The ACLU, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of two pro-immigration groups, argues that the administration’s measures are “cruel,” “severely restrict asylum” and “put thousands of lives at risk.”
“These executive orders effectively cut off access to refugee protections for the vast majority of people arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border, no matter how strong their claim. The declaration is reminiscent of the Trump administration’s previous refugee ban, which immigrant rights advocates successfully challenged,” the ACLU said in a statement. statement.
“We were left with no choice but to litigate. The administration does not have the unilateral authority to ignore Congress and ban asylum based on how someone entered the country. Courts made this very clear when the Trump administration tried and failed to impose a nearly identical ban,” said Lee Gerentz, vice director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project.
The lawsuit says the administration “injured” immigrant groups by enacting the order “without providing prior notice or an opportunity to comment.”
Biden’s executive order will only go into effect if encounters at the southern border reach a seven-day daily average of 2,500 or more. At that point, undocumented immigrants attempting to enter the US through any port other than the designated ports of entry could be barred from applying for asylum. But the order makes exceptions for unaccompanied minors, people with medical emergencies, and victims of “severe forms” of human trafficking.
The restrictions will be lifted if the average daily border crossings drop below 1,500 for seven consecutive days. The administration could choose to reimpose the restrictions if the number of encounters at the border rises again.
At the time the Biden administration announced the executive order, the Border Patrol was averaging about 4,000 encounters per day.
“The Biden administration’s actions have effectively closed the door to countless people fleeing violence and persecution,” said Arthur Spitzer, senior counsel for the ACLU of the District of Columbia.
“Anti-asylum policies are cruel, ineffective and unlawfully violate the fundamental right to seek asylum in the United States,” Spitzer added.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas recently said the Biden administration expected the ACLU to challenge the executive order.
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