On Wednesday, the Biden administration implemented an executive order to limit daily asylum claims at the southern border and to temporarily close the border to migrants if the limit is bypassed.
Denying people the right to claim asylum and humanitarian protection is illegal under international law and U.S. refugee law. It will put migrants at greater risk of harm and abuse, particularly women.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Republican lawmakers in Arizona approved a ballot measure for voters in November that would make crossing the border without prior authorization, which could include the process of seeking asylum, a state crime.
At the national or state level, focusing solely on border security as a proxy for immigration policy is reactive and ineffective, and it will undermine both human rights and national security.
Executive action to close the U.S. border and limit asylum claims does not change the established right to protection under international law for any person fleeing persecution.
Seeking asylum at the border, and within the United States, is legal and has no quota. Turning asylum seekers away is not.
This policy will force asylum seekers to stay in precarious settings at the border indefinitely or seek more dangerous........