This comes at a time when the Trump administration is also considering ending the refugee resettlement program, which was formalized decades ago in order to save lives and ensure the United States of America would “never again” become a country that turned away so many people running for their lives.
Once again, we have become that country.
“The Supreme Court’s decision to allow this rule to go into effect is morally and legally incomprehensible,” said Rev. Mary Katherine Morn, President and CEO of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee. “Just this week, UUSC heard from our partners in Guatemala that the government there has imposed a ‘state of siege’ in six departments—suspending basic civil liberties in large parts of the country. A vast number of the young people fleeing for their lives from Central America—including the children who died in U.S. custody this past year—are Indigenous asylum-seekers from these areas. It is categorically false to claim that Guatemala or any other country targeted by this rule is a safe place for refugees, when they do not protect the rights of their own citizens. The Trump administration’s asylum ban violates international law, U.S. statute, and the basic principle of human dignity.”
With local partners working in the countries on the Northern Triangle and welcoming congregations in the United States, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA), through its AMMPARO program, has been working not only to address the root causes that force individuals to flee their homes and communities, but also to welcome those who must leave their home country.
“Accompanying the journey of vulnerable people has been a mandate of the Lutheran faith. With AMMPARO we have worked towards just and humane policies affecting migrants in and outside of the U.S., and the ‘third country transit asylum ban’ violates asylum-seekers’ rights and compromises their ability to prepare their cases with counsel,” stated Mary Campbell, Director of AMMPARO. “It leaves vulnerable unaccompanied children and their families in harm’s way.”
HIAS and National Justice for Our Neighbors are two IIC member organizations who submitted an amicus brief in this case, alongside two dozen other legal service providers. The Justice for Our Neighbors network provides free or low-cost immigration legal services to asylum-seekers across the country. Their clients are comprised of families that are in crisis and are often fleeing for their lives, who have every right to stay together and to seek protection in the United States.
Justice for Our Neighbors Program and Advocacy Manager Melissa Bowe said: “We are shocked and disheartened by the Supreme Court’s decision today. We know the human impact of this ruling will be immeasurable and we fear the chaos it will reap on our well-established asylum laws and traditions. They may arrive here through the border we share with Mexico, but our asylum-seeking clients come from all over the world; countries like Venezuela, Cuba, Cameroon and Iran. These are people who have risked everything. Many have lost everything…except for faith and hope. We have the ability to help and we have the moral duty to help.”
Melanie Nezer, HIAS’ Senior Vice President of Public Affairs, added: “We have in our laws protections for asylum seekers that are the result of 70 years of legislation, court precedent, international agreements, and administrative rulemaking, all of which the Supreme Court repudiated yesterday. Blocking people who are fleeing persecution shows the world that that the U.S. doesn’t care about their safety. This is a serious failure of leadership and a rejection of our historical role as the world’s leader in refugee protection. When the United States turns persecuted people away, it’s not difficult to imagine a world where nobody helps them and persecuted families and children are completely on their own.”
Church World Service President and CEO Rev. John L. McCullough said: “On the same day that President Trump stated that he would not grant safe passage to the United States to survivors of Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas, the Trump administration now has free reign to continue its campaign of cruelty by denying vulnerable populations the chance to seek asylum. It is clear that this administration does not consider moral or legal obligations when making decisions. It is time for Congress to step in and hold the administration accountable to terminate the asylum ban. CWS urges the administration to welcome and equitably process all asylum seekers, at the border and within the United States.”
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition is made up of 53 national, faith-based organizations brought together across many theological traditions with a common call to seek just policies that lift up the God-given dignity of every individual. In partnership, we work to protect the rights, dignity, and safety of all refugees and migrants.
Follow us on Twitter @interfaithimm
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