RCUSA Opposes President Biden’s Final Rule Further Restricting Asylum

October 4, 2024

Washington, DC- On September 30, President Biden issued a Joint Final Rule reinforcing stringent limits on legal asylum access at the US southern border. Refugee Council USA joins with many others in denouncing these new harsh asylum restrictions, which will close the border indefinitely to most of those in need of protection.

The newly released ruling reinforces and extends the Biden administration’s June 2024 announcement on “Securing the Border”, which blocked asylum seekers from safety by temporarily suspending asylum access for individuals arriving between ports of entry. The original suspension was set to last until daily border arrivals dropped to an average of 1,500 people over a seven-day period. The updated rule extends this period to 28 days and includes unaccompanied children (who were previously exempt) in the average arrival calculations.

“The Biden Administration is seeking to use a band-aid solution to systemic asylum processing challenges, one that will only exacerbate the problem and return those seeking protection to situations where their lives are in danger,” said RCUSA Executive Director John Slocum. “The US needs to utilize its resources and power more effectively to run an asylum system that is founded on respect for law and human dignity–one that doesn’t deny asylum seekers their rights and allows them the opportunity to demonstrate why they need protection in the United States.”

This new policy undermines US international obligations to refugees and contradicts the Refugee Act of 1980, which guarantees the right to seek asylum regardless of how one enters the country. The United States must uphold its promise to safeguard our most vulnerable communities, especially in light of the unprecedented global refugee and displacement crisis across the world driven by escalating violence, political persecution, and climate change. 

In the face of the politicized mobilization of false and harmful anti-migrant rhetoric, the Biden Administration should not put asylum seekers at further risk, but should instead prioritize compassionate and effective approaches, continue to provide access to asylum, and make available the staffing and funding needed to facilitate timely processing of asylum claims.

 

Media Contact: Mariam Sayeed, msayeed@rcusa.org

RCUSA is a diverse coalition advocating for just and humane laws and policies, and the promotion of dialogue and communication among government, civil society, and those who need protection and welcome. Individual RCUSA members do not all address all refugee-related issues, nor do all individual members approach common refugee-related issues identically.