New York, NY—Yesterday, reports came out of the Biden administration considering reviving the Trump-era practice of detaining migrant families. The New York Immigration Coalition strongly denounces this cruel proposal, which egregiously threatens the basic human rights of families, and demands that the Biden administration fulfill their humanitarian obligations by welcoming all asylum seekers.
Murad Awawdeh, Executive Director, New York Immigration Coalition:
“The Biden administration’s latest proposal to revive the practice of detaining migrant families is a shocking failure of our basic humanitarian obligations. Under the Trump administration this program has proven to lead to family separation and egregious human rights violations, and to this day some children have yet to be reunited with their families. That President Biden would even consider reviving this policy is unfathomably hypocritical and inhumane. Asylum seekers cannot be used to score political points on the campaign trail and then cruelly discarded when elected to office—these are families fleeing violence in search of safety for their children. While President Biden continues to blame Congress’s inaction for his immigration policies, this cruel and horrific policy lays squarely on his shoulders. Rather than demonizing and terrorizing families who are simply seeking a better future for their children, President Biden must protect those who seek refuge in our country by permanently ending the practice of family detainment.”
###