FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 10, 2024
Contact: Zameena Mejia, zmejia@vera.org

New York – The Biden administration proposed a change to existing asylum rules that would severely impede access to due process for many people seeking safety in the United States. The proposed rule would enable immigration officials at the border, not immigration judges, to make complex legal determinations about eligibility for asylum, fast-tracking deportations for people without any due process soon after their arrival in the United States.

In response, Fairness to Freedom campaign leaders Annie Chen and Nicole Melaku issued the following statements:

Annie Chen, director of the Advancing Universal Representation initiative at the Vera Institute of Justice, said, “The right to claim asylum, and to live and work safely in the United States while that claim is being processed, is a foundational promise of this country. If implemented, the new rule will authorize immigration officials at the border—instead of immigration judges—to decide whether someone is eligible for asylum just days after arriving in the country, unfairly speeding deportations and undermining due process. It would deprive some asylum seekers of the ability to access legal advice or to understand or exercise their rights under U.S. law, while increasing the likelihood of racial profiling and leading to wrongful deportations. Instead of restricting access to asylum and undermining due process for those seeking safety, we call on the Biden administration to invest in solutions such as expanding pathways to citizenship, improving processing at the border, and promoting due process in immigration proceedings through access to legal representation. These measures will help alleviate the backlog of cases and inhumane conditions experienced by many at the border and strengthen communities, families, and the U.S. economy."

Nicole Melaku, executive director of the National Partnership for New Americans, said, “As a coalition of over 70 immigrant and refugee rights organizations, the National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) opposes this proposed rule that will undoubtedly make it harder for people to make their claim for asylum, and will potentially lead to harmful profiling of those perceived to be ‘security threats.’ This enforcement-only, rights-denying approach is far from the dignifying solutions the electorate has been calling for. We need an asylum and immigration system that works for—not against—families, workers, and people in need of refuge. We call on President Biden and the Department of Homeland Security to take a different approach and instead invest in solutions that support people’s right to seek protection and to fully make their case to be granted relief in the United States.”

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About the Fairness to Freedom Campaign
The Fairness to Freedom campaign was launched by the National Partnership for New Americans and the Vera Institute of Justice in April 2022 with a coalition of over 200 organizations and legal service providers. The campaign’s goal is to support the passage of the Fairness to Freedom Act to establish a federal right to representation for all immigrants facing deportation.

About the Vera Institute of Justice
The Vera Institute of Justice is powered by hundreds of advocates, researchers, and policy experts working to transform the criminal legal and immigration systems until they’re fair for all. Founded in 1961 to advocate for alternatives to money bail in New York City, Vera is now a national organization that partners with impacted communities and government leaders for change. We develop just, antiracist solutions so that money doesn’t determine freedom; fewer people are in jails, prisons, and immigration detention; and everyone is treated with dignity. Vera’s headquarters is in Brooklyn, New York, with offices in Washington, DC, New Orleans, and Los Angeles. For more information, visit vera.org.

About the National Partnership for New Americans
The National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) is a multi-ethnic, multiracial coalition of 70 of the nation’s largest immigrant and refugee rights organizations with reach across over 40 states. Together with our members, we advance immigrant and refugee equity and inclusion, build and expand immigration legal services and integration programming capacity, and drive campaigns that strengthen democracy through increased civic participation. See our website for more information at partnershipfornewamericans.org.