HIAS condemns the interim final rule that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) intends to publish tomorrow that would enable the agency to send asylum seekers directly to immigration court without first giving them an interview with an asylum officer. The rule, which takes effect on July 28, would deny many people fleeing persecution their first real opportunity to explain why they need protection. July 28 is also the 75th anniversary of the signature of the Refugee Convention – a hallmark document that enshrines the right of protection to all those seeking persecution around the world.
“The impact of this rule could be disastrous for people in need of safety.” said Beth Oppenheim, President & CEO of HIAS. “It makes it easier for the government to deport people back to situations they fled, where they could face real danger or death. That is wrong, it is dangerous, and the United States continues to erode the role it once played as a leader in standing up for those who need it the most.”
The rule is part of a broader effort to dismantle the U.S. asylum system, and to deny individuals the basic right to flee, which is codified in both U.S. and international law.
“The Refugee Convention exists because the world learned, at an unbearable cost, what happens when governments turn their backs on people fleeing persecution,” continued Oppenheim. “This new asylum rule, issued 75 years to the day the world stood together to respond to the mistakes it made during the Holocaust, continues to show the disconnect between the country we have been – a strong voice for those seeking safety – and the country we are becoming today.”
Since the start of the Trump administration, people seeking asylum have faced nationality-specific targeting, unlawful detentions, and threats of deportation to third countries where they have no connection. When this rule is implemented, asylum cases will be sent directly to immigration courts that have grown increasingly hostile to asylum seekers, with due process protections being stripped away leaving even the strongest asylum cases facing an uphill battle in removal proceedings.
For more than 140 years, HIAS has seen firsthand both the devastating consequences of closed borders and the life-saving power of welcome. The organization and the Jewish community we were founded to serve was transformed by the 1951 Refugee Convention, and our subsequent ability to bring millions of refugees, including Jews, to safety all around the world. HIAS continues to support thousands of asylum seekers every year through direct legal programs and our pro-bono network of law firms.
“Even with a system that is increasingly sending a message of shut doors and promises of safety denied, HIAS will never stop fighting,” continued Oppenheim. “People fleeing violence and persecution must be able to find safety, and this country must be able to treat them with respect, compassion, and dignity.”
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