Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Bob Menendez
JERSEY CITY, N.J. – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) issued the following statement in response to the Biden Administration’s new proposed migration policies, including some that reflect principles the Senator outlined in his new plan to secure our borders and manage migration in the Americas and others that will limit access to asylum and are unlikely to address our regional migration challenges:
“For too long, the United States’ approach to addressing our hemisphere’s migration and refugee challenges has been painfully shortsighted. We have relied too heavily on punitive border measures rather than providing additional legal pathways for migrants and marshalling the financial resources needed to address the drivers of migration. In this vein, I appreciate the Biden Administration’s stated commitment to double refugee admissions from the Western Hemisphere and to request additional funding from Congress as we look ahead. Further, the establishment of regional processing centers and new family reunification parole processes facilitate more localized opportunities for migrants and refugees in the Americas.
“While this announcement will put some overdue policies in place, they are accompanied by a clear reversal of our nation’s commitment to welcome asylum seekers. These policy announcements will take months to help migrants and refugees in the region, and until then, the Biden Administration’s transit ban will mark a historic abdication of our nation’s asylum laws. Until these new regional policies are in place, we will be turning our backs on our neighbors fleeing violence, persecution, and crimes against humanity.
“As I have put forward in my own plan to address these challenges, we can manage regional migration without banning asylum seekers in the process. We have a legal obligation to protect asylum seekers, and the Biden Administration should abide by it.”
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