FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 13, 2023
Media Contact: Zameena Mejia, zmejia@vera.org

Biden and Congress Must Reject Expanded Detention and Enforcement Proposals and
Uphold the Right to Asylum and Due Process

NEW YORK -- As Congress and President Biden continue to negotiate the supplemental funding request, new reporting has unveiled that the Biden administration is considering supporting a suite of increasingly dangerous and draconian policies that would gut the asylum system and dramatically increase immigration detention and enforcement beyond the border. This includes summary removals, which would expel migrants without processing asylum claims, similar to the abhorrent Trump-era Title 42 policy; expanding expedited removal nationwide; expanding the use of mandatory detention; and raising the barrier for asylum seekers, further limiting access to protection.

Annie Chen, director of the Vera Institute of Justice’s Advancing Universal Representation initiative, shared the following statement:

“President Biden and Congress are considering dangerous immigration proposals that would resurrect and advance the Trump administration’s failed punitive policies. We cannot afford for Congress and the Biden administration to use extreme immigration policy measures as bargaining chips. Depriving children, families, and vulnerable people who are seeking safety in the U.S. of their rights to asylum and due process will further increase instability and chaos not only at the border, but across the country. The proposed expansions of detention and enforcement will subject more people to cruel and unnecessary immigration prisons, destabilizing communities across the country. The Biden administration and Congress owe it to Americans to address the serious need for significant immigration reform independently, not as a cruel and harmful tradeoff. We urge the Biden administration and Congress to reject these harmful proposals and uphold the rights to asylum and due process promised to everyone in this country.”

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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.