HIAS Decries Trump Administration’s Immigration Principles

SILVER SPRING, Md.—On Sunday, October 8, the Trump administration distributed a list of immigration principles and policies that, if enacted, would gut existing asylum laws and make it practically impossible for children fleeing persecution to seek safety in the United States. Under these proposed policies, asylum seekers would nearly all be detained, and a system to quickly remove immigrants from this country, bypassing the courts, would be dramatically expanded.

In response, Melanie Nezer, senior vice president for public affairs at HIAS, the global Jewish nonprofit that protects refugees, issued the following statement:

“The pointless cruelty of these proposals is only magnified by the fact that they are the President’s stated preconditions for granting permanent legal status to young immigrants brought here as children.

“Congress must pass legislation that permits ‘dreamers’ to stay here legally and permanently, without any trade-offs. Along with our supporters in the American Jewish community, we’ll continue to work every day to preserve the United States’ proud tradition of welcome.”

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