Immigration experts say strict asylum policies will not slow the flow of migrants coming into the U.S. seeking refuge.
Chelsea Sachau, managing attorney for the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project, recently spoke at a webinar, saying that neither tough policies nor humane immigration policies will change anything at the border.
“This is not an ‘If you build it, they will come’ situation. Asylum seekers will keep coming because they have no other option, so we must build it,” Sachau said during a Nov. 28 webinar hosted by the #WelcomewithDignity campaign.
AZ: The Border Patrol checkpoint is also closed outside of Lukeville where the influx is currently happening—CBP says it is taking an “all hands on deck” posture to respond to the thousands of migrants crossing daily. https://t.co/3tyHZN1vtZ pic.twitter.com/PqpDqmnXyr
— Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) November 28, 2023
The webinar featured a discussion on current immigration policy and how federal, state, and local governments can help create a welcoming asylum system.
But Azadeh Erfani, senior policy analyst for the National Immigrant Justice Center, said change has to start with President Joe Biden.
“The administration has also come up with its own punitive and unnecessary barriers to the right to asylum, such as subjecting families to heightened surveillance and expedited fear screenings and turning away asylum seekers who aren’t able to secure an appointment under CBP One, a highly dysfunctional mobile app that is largely inaccessible to many asylum seekers due to literacy barriers, to technological barriers and to financial barriers,” Erfani said.
The Border Patrol is often understaffed in many places, including southern Arizona, where thousands have come in. According to Arizona Townhall, 2,800 people made illegal crossings on Tuesday near Arizona.
“CBP is pulling personnel from local ports of entry to help, BP there is pausing their social media, & multiple BP highway checkpoints are closed - which are crucial to catching fentanyl smugglers who make it past the ports of entry,” Bill Melugin, a Fox News correspondent, tweeted.
NEW: Per CBP source, Border Patrol’s Tucson, AZ sector saw a staggering 2,800+ illegal crossings yesterday alone. Agents there are completely overrun. CBP is pulling personnel from local ports of entry to help, BP there is pausing their social media, & multiple BP highway…
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) November 28, 2023
At the Nogales and Arizona Border Patrol checkpoint, agents shut down the checkpoint because of the “migrant surge.”
The immigration panel discussed how many of these migrants face human rights violations when they try to seek asylum.
Asylum seekers are sometimes detained for up to four days at a time without adequate food, water, shelter, and sanitary conditions. In California, those migrants are then released onto the streets of San Diego, where they do not receive any resources.
Photo Courtesy: ©Getty Images/John Moore/Staff
Video Courtesy: Economic Times via YouTube
Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.
