HIAS joins its NGO partners in condemning the State Department, Foreign Operations and Related Programs (SFOPs) bill for Fiscal Year 2024, which was approved by the House Appropriations Committee today.
In a hearing of the House Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security and Enforcement on Tuesday, HIAS President and CEO Mark Hetfield said that comprehensive immigration reform is the only way to respect the rights of asylum seekers by creating safe, orderly and humane processes, while also meeting demands for border security.
HIAS is calling on the House of Representatives to reject H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act of 2023, which lawmakers are expected to debate and vote on this week.
In preparation for May 11, when the Biden Administration will finally end the Trump administration’s policy of expelling asylum seekers under the pretext of a public health measure known as Title 42, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State today announced what they described as “regional migration management measures.”
HIAS is urging the House Homeland Security Committee to reject the Border Reinforcement Act of 2023, which would lead to sweeping policy changes at the U.S.-Mexico border.
HIAS strongly opposes the Border Security and Enforcement Act of 2023 being marked up in the House Judiciary Committee today, and is urging committee members to reject any attempt to address challenges at the U.S.-Mexico border with draconian steps that would deny basic protections to people seeking asylum.
HIAS welcomes today’s announcement that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will extend the humanitarian parole status of some 20,000 Ukrainians who arrived at U.S. ports of entry between February 24, 2022 and April 25, 2022, before the launch of the Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) program.
On February 21, the Biden Administration proposed a series of policies which together, advocates claim, would result in a virtual asylum ban at the U.S.-Mexico border. HIAS Vice President for U.S. Policy and Advocacy Naomi Steinberg explains what this means and how it would impact asylum seekers.