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New York, NY, January 5, 2023 —  The ̽����ѡ welcomes today’s announcement by the Biden Administration to create safe pathways to migration into the United States. Such pathways should, however, not be paired with policies that expel asylum-seekers from the United States or otherwise limit the legal right to seek asylum. These measures cannot be a substitute for a functioning and holistic asylum system, as well as a robust U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. 

The policies announced today would extend temporary humanitarian parole for up to 30,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans per month, but would simultaneously expand Title 42 expulsions of asylum-seekers and migrants from these countries to Mexico. In addition, another proposed policy would bar many asylum-seekers who had not applied for asylum while passing through third-countries, where they often cannot safely find protection on the way to the U.S.

While parole can provide an expeditious pathway to safety, these programs face challenges in offering equitable and durable protections to the most vulnerable. Absent acts of Congress, parolees may face a limited legal landscape for obtaining permanent immigration status. The to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act illustrates these concerns, with tens of thousands of Afghans currently without a pathway to permanency, as their parole begins to expire in July. The United States should prioritize investing in durable and equitable protection solutions, available to all displaced persons regardless of nationality. 

The expansion of Title 42 expulsions and the introduction of a new third-country transit asylum ban will only further undermine the regional refugee protection efforts happening along the arc of displacement. For example, Mexico has already received a – over 100,000 per year since 2021 – and with its asylum and protection systems already being overwhelmed and underfunded, these new measures will only push more asylum-seekers into dangerous situations, the likes of which have already been seen in the form of . It is also important to recognize that many still cannot find safety within Mexico or the region, and therefore facilitating people’s right to receive international protection in places suitable to their needs must be a priority. Against the backdrop of insufficient commitments to refugee resettlement – with a 20,000 commitment for resettlement from the Americas over the next two fiscal years – options for refugees to effectively reach safety are becoming less and less feasible, all while risks and push factors increase. 

As such, the ̽����ѡ calls for the US government to ensure a properly resourced and functioning asylum and reception system at the U.S. Southern border and the end of border externalization policies that continue to put asylum-seekers at risk. The ̽����ѡ and our partners in the border and interior communities continue to stand ready to work toward a more orderly and humane system that upholds the legal right to seek asylum.

Kennji Kizuka, Director for Asylum Policy, said:

“Providing safety in the U.S. for persecuted people is a clear demonstration of American values in action. The continued pursuit of temporary, ad hoc, and counterproductive approaches at the U.S. Southern border will only exacerbate humanitarian disarray and suffering for those in desperate need of protection. 

“The U.S. can and should build a safe, orderly, and humane reception process to welcome asylum seekers, with the participation of both civil society and local communities.

“Protection needs are not new, and they do not start and end at the U.S. Southern border. As such, we look forward to the North American Leaders’ Summit happening in Mexico City next week to foster and encourage collaboration from the leaders of Canada, Mexico, and the United States to advance policies that address the underlying drivers of displacement in the Americas while committing to strengthen protection and asylum systems throughout the region”.  

The ̽����ѡ’s Asylum and Protection work in the United States

The ̽����ѡ provides case management, humanitarian reception, information services, and legal assistance to asylum seekers, unaccompanied children, and other vulnerable people seeking protection in the U.S. In fiscal year 2021, the ̽����ѡ served nearly 35,000 people through its U.S. Asylum and Protection programming, both with services along the U.S. Mexico border and in cities across the U.S.

The ̽����ѡ in Latin America

The ̽����ѡ is responding across the arc of the crisis in Latin America: delivering a population-based response to the Venezuela crisis in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru and through local partners in Venezuela; supporting people at risk in northern Central America (Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador) and along the main migration corridors in Mexico.

Since 2019, the ̽����ѡ has responded to the humanitarian needs of asylum seekers stuck at the U.S.-Mexico border as a consequence of restrictive policies like Title 42. Currently, the ̽����ѡ’s programs in Mexico offer a timely and comprehensive response from the southern to the northern border, addressing economic recovery and development; mental health and psychosocial support; child protection; multipurpose cash assistance to meet people’s basic needs; prevention and response to gender-based violence; access to critical information through , a multi-channel information platform; as well as identifying needs and referring cases to local service providers. Additionally, the ̽����ѡ is supporting local integration efforts by providing cultural orientation to individuals who have chosen to stay in Mexico.