Last night, a small group of negotiators who have been meeting behind closed doors put forward legislative text that would have devastating impacts on the ability of immigrant survivors of gender-based violence to get and stay safe. This so-called deal shows blatant disregard for the promise of a welcoming nation for all.
What we see cannot be called a compromise. Recycled, cruel, and ineffective deterrence-based policies have no place in any modern-day, good-faith immigration reform effort. We already know the impact these harmful proposals will have. Many of them have been tried in the past and failed to address the challenges at our border. And we know that the harm they will cause instead will land disproportionately on already marginalized immigrant survivors of color.
People flee persecution every single day, including survivors of gender-based violence, in search of safety and refuge in the United States, as is their right. The proposed bill would set a practically insurmountable standard for asylum seekers along our borders, increase detention, and implement new proceedings that will deny asylum seekers access to legal support, services, and due process. There is no doubt that survivors with valid claims of asylum will have the door to safety slammed in their faces.
Closing the border and gutting our asylum laws will neither stem the tides of migration to our border nor address the root causes of why people are forced to leave home in the first place. These policies punish those most vulnerable to violence and will serve only to create less clarity and more chaos – a situation that abusers, traffickers, and cartels will exploit – with immigrant survivors caught in the crosshairs.
Immigrants should not be met with hostile and unmanageable policies that violate their legal rights as well as their humanity. We know what is needed to address the challenges while centering the legal rights and humanity of those seeking safety and opportunity: increased asylum processing capacity, more safe legal pathways to migrate, and resources for local communities that support asylum seekers.
This deal is a betrayal of our ideals as a nation. It cannot become law. We urge the Senate to vote no and the Administration to reverse course.
