In reaction to today’s announced asylum ban, Oxfam America’s President and CEO, Abby Maxman, made the following statement:
“This sweeping asylum ban will shut the door to countless refugees seeking safety and protection in the United States. This policy is illegal, immoral, and will exact a frightening human toll on children, women, and men seeking safety. It is deeply disappointing that the Biden administration would seek to put up barriers for people fleeing for their lives.
“President Biden promised to reject the harmful policies of the Trump administration and restore and protect the rights of asylum seekers. But this policy is a page taken from the Trump administration’s racist, anti-refugee playbook. We urge President Biden to immediately change course and keep his promise to 'reassert America’s commitment to asylum seekers and refugees.'
“The right to seek asylum is a cornerstone protected under both US and international law and does not depend on whether someone arrives by foot or airplane, their path of travel, or whether they have the financial means to purchase an airplane ticket.
“This regulation will undoubtedly cost lives and return asylum seekers to danger. The Biden administration must reverse course, rescind this regulation, and fulfill its commitment to restore and protect the rights of asylum seekers—not slam the door on them as they seek safety.”