THIS FORM IS FOR FAITH ORGANIZATIONS/DENOMINATIONS. IF YOU ARE SIGNING ON AS A FAITH LEADER, PLEASE USE THIS FORM:
https://forms.gle/Li2jKgsDXTNBP3aX7DEADLINE for signature is COB Monday, April 25th. Please contact Elissa Diaz,
ediaz@cwsglobal.org, with any questions. To review the letter with links, please use this link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Pl_4ly6UlfN9wjZIwkk7VkhuMkyY60neAIBq10Vo3Gk/edit?usp=sharing.
April X, 2022
Dear Members of Congress,
As X faith-based organizations and X faith leaders across traditions, we are called to love and welcome our neighbors. The U.S.’ promise to provide refuge and freedom from persecution is firmly written into our nation’s asylum laws. We write to strongly urge you to uphold our asylum laws and vote NO on any proposal that would limit or undermine access to asylum. Of immediate concern is the Public Health and Border Security Act of 2022, an anti-asylum bill recently introduced in the Senate and a similar bill being considered in the House of Representatives. This bill raises the threshold to rescind the public health authority known as Title 42 to an impossible standard. Maintaining Title 42 amounts to more suffering for asylum seekers patiently waiting their chance to legally ask for protection. We believe it is possible to safely and humanely receive asylum seekers while safeguarding public health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC), public health experts, southern border communities from AZ, CA, TX, and advocates have reached similar conclusions. Lawmakers have a moral imperative to oppose this legislation and any anti-asylum proposal that would keep Title 42 in place.
On April 1st, the faith community welcomed the Biden administration’s announcement to terminate Title 42 by May 23rd, and made it clear we stand ready to welcome those seeking refuge. We also reiterated our commitment to work together to rebuild a just and humane asylum system. Alongside faith leaders, asylum seekers, public health experts, and advocates, we have consistently urged the Biden administration to put an end to Title 42, and other inhumane, asylum-blocking policies, and to restore a humane and just asylum system built on the values of hospitality and welcome, with due process and without discrimination. Misused under the false pretense of public health, the Title 42 policy has resulted in over 1.7 million expulsions of vulnerable individuals seeking refuge at the U.S. southern border, in contravention of U.S. law and international obligations. Title 42 is damaging to the nation's international standing and individuals.
There are severe physical and mental health consequences for asylum seekers expelled under the policy, particularly for children, families, and minorities. Title 42 has fueled a humanitarian crisis; since President Biden took office, there have been at least 9,866 reports of violent attacks - including rape, kidnapping, and assault - against people blocked from requesting protection at the U.S.-Mexico border and/or expelled to Mexico under Title 42, as tracked by Human Rights First. It has also been used disparately to expel Black migrants, in particular Haitians, back to a country ill-prepared to support their safe return and reintegration. Additionally, Title 42 has increased the likelihood of repeat crossings. A June 2021 report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) acknowledged that Title 42 expulsions have led to “some individuals trying to cross the border multiple times per day.” In total, the rate at which people crossed the border multiple times rose from 7% in March 2020 to 40% by October 2020 while Title 42 was in place, before leveling to an annual rate of 27% in 2021. This legislation would put displaced and vulnerable populations like Ukrainians, Afghans, Venezuelans, and others at risk. If this bill passes, people fleeing violence and persecution would continue to be forcibly removed from the U.S. without access to protection and returned to life-threatening and dangerous conditions.
We must facilitate the humane and safe reception of people seeking refuge in the United States in compliance with U.S. law and treaty obligations. Rescinding Title 42 restores basic asylum processing at ports of entry, meaning those who request asylum will be processed into the country so they can pursue their case; those who don’t request asylum or who are found not to have a valid claim to protection move through removal proceedings, in accordance with standing asylum law.
The Public Health and Border Security Act of 2022 ignores individuals and families in desperate need of safety and their right to seek protection from persecution. It is especially disappointing that the release of urgently needed funding for COVID testing, treatment, vaccines, and relief has been interrupted by a potential action on the Public Health and Border Security Act of 2022. Lawmakers should not insist on including this bill as a harmful amendment to the COVID-19 supplemental which is urgently needed for COVID-19 mitigation abroad and for domestic needs. Politicizing Title 42 is harmful to asylum seekers and communities at home. We urge you to depoliticize and decouple Title 42 and COVID-19 aid and legislate on the common good.The promise of working toward the common good has delivered us through the pandemic and can lead us to a better future where we welcome with dignity.
Our faith traditions call us to welcome vulnerable people with warmth and open arms, and we call on members of Congress to do the same. We urge you to fiercely reject this dangerous bill, oppose similar measures, and hold the Biden administration accountable to ending this policy once and for all by May 23rd. As people of faith, we are ready and eager to welcome all people with dignity and urge you to work with the administration to support a comprehensive and clearly-communicated plan to build an equitable, humane, and anti-racist asylum system.
Sincerely,
