The Office of the UN’s High Commissioner for Refugees, a UN agency, spoke out against the Biden-Harris administration’s decision to expand its “asylum restrictions” on Monday. The agency said that the decision “severely curtails access to protection for those fleeing conflict, persecution, and violence, putting a lot of refugees and asylum seekers in great danger without a good option for seeking safety.”
The agency said they were “deeply concerned” and said that “everyone seeking refuge must be given access to safety and the chance to have their claims individually and fairly evaluated before being deported or removed.”
President Biden signed his Proclamation 10773, 89 FR 48487 – Securing the Border in June. This was an executive order that said the federal government could close the southern border if 2,500 immigrants crossed it every day for seven days in a row. They could get around the rule if the average number dropped to 1,500 per day for a week.
However, it made a lot of exceptions, such as for children who are not with an adult, people from countries that don’t take back deportees, people who have medical problems, people who are victims of a “severe form” of trafficking, or people who have a “credible fear.” There is also no effect on foreigners who use the CBP One app to make an appointment to ask for refuge at a port of entry.
The government recently made these moves last longer and added that the average number of meetings must drop below 1,500 per day for 28 days before they are lifted. As part of the latest extension, the administration also said that all children are now being counted toward that number. It used to only count children from Mexico.
The UNHCR says the rules are too strict and may even be against international law, even though the administration’s weak limit might only affect foreigners who try to cross the border illegally between marked ports of entry.
“Restricting or stopping this kind of access is against international refugee law that the US has long been a leader in,” the agency said.
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