U.S COMMITTEE FOR REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS
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Las Mariposas de la Frontera: One Asylum Seeker’s Search for Safety

July 31, 2024

Over the past two years, the Biden administration has made considerable changes to asylum and migrant processing at the southern U.S. border. Most recently, on June 4, President Biden issued a Proclamation on “Securing the Border,” which built upon previous regulations to effectively close the U.S.-Mexico border to asylum seekers and other migrants.

Along with the Proclamation, the Administration announced an interim final rule (IFR) to operationalize the executive action, which went into effect immediately. As a result of these changes, the asylum system has been stripped of its capacity to offer meaningful protection to those seeking safety.

In public statements and official comments to the Federal Register, USCRI warned that closing the border to asylum seekers would have significant implications for families, children, and individuals fleeing persecution, violence, and other forms of harm, leaving them more vulnerable and without adequate avenues for protection.

Four weeks after the Proclamation and IFR, USCRI visited the U.S.-Mexico border for two weeks to assess the impact of the recent changes on asylum seekers stranded in Mexico. Our visit suggests that the “lawful pathways” touted by the Administration as effective asylum practices overlook many inhumane outcomes.

The visit and this brief are part of the Las Mariposas de la Frontera project that advocates for the right to seek asylum. Las Mariposas de la Frontera is a joint project between USCRI and the International Institute of New England (IINE). IINE accompanied USCRI on part of the visit to the U.S.-Mexico border. During this trip, the team visited shelters in Mexico, interviewed asylum seekers, and spoke with civil society, government officials, and community members.

This brief highlights the story of one individual who like many others fled persecution, and is close to safety, yet is forced to wait an indefinite amount of time for an appointment through the CBP One app and a chance to speak with border officials. An appointment through the CBP One app will not guarantee protection. And after waiting for many weeks or months, this asylum seeker will still need to overcome new bars and heightened standards to obtain protection.

Click here to read the full brief.

 

USCRI, founded in 1911, is a non-governmental, not-for-profit international organization committed to working on behalf of refugees and immigrants and their transition to a dignified life.

For inquiries, please contact: [email protected]


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