Protect Asylum: ICA Statement on Immigration Executive Order June 2024

Please find below our statement in opposition to the Biden Administration’s Executive Order on Asylum, and a call to action to rescind the order and refocus on creating meaningful change that fixes our immigration system for all.

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On June 4, President Joe Biden and his administration issued an executive order that claims to increase security across the southern border, by curtailing legal rights to seek asylum on US soil.

We join our voices with Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), National Immigrant Justice Center, Welcome With Dignity, ACLU, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), and many other immigrant and progressive organizations in calling for the Biden Administration to rescind this order and hold true to its campaign promises of advocating for meaningful and humane structural changes to the immigration system. We lend our support to Illinois Congressional leaders such as Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia and Rep. Delia Ramirez, who have taken principled stances in opposition to the executive order.

The interim final rule, which went into immediate effect at midnight on June 5, will lead to increased deportations at the US - Mexico border between ports of entry, placing many refugees directly in harm’s way by sending them back to dangerous locations and forcing them to consider life-threatening alternatives to enter the country. Coupled with administrative rule changes, it will also raise the bar for those who are at ports of entry presenting their claims, making it harder for all those who seek protections via asylum or humanitarian relief to find safety in this country by rushing them through deportation proceedings and sending them back to danger zones. Moreover, according to legal advocacy groups such as The American Bar Association and Human Rights Watch, the executive order is in violation of US asylum law and international covenants held in the Refugee Convention.

We are firm in our conviction that executive orders that focus on deterrence-only actions historically have not worked, and will lead to unexpected and unintended consequences by setting precedents for future administrations.

Indivisible Chicago believes that our focus must be on creating a just, humane, and effective immigration system. It is why we have been staunch advocates for policies and actions that make our country, state, and city welcoming to immigrants - and it is why we marched in 2018 and 2019. 

We believe that the immigration system must be fixed - and we must do so by starting from a place that centers the humanity and dignity of newcomers as well as the undocumented people who have long called the United States their home. We call upon this administration to rescind this executive order and instead, refocus on creating a fair, sustainable, and just system that protects families through legislation, appropriate administrative actions, and the exertion of pressure on Congress to take meaningful steps on behalf of all immigrants. This can include, but not be limited to, expanding and expediting work authorizations, extending eligibility to Temporary Protected Status and pathways to residency and citizenship, and seeking Congressional funding in support of people as they navigate their asylum cases both at the border and in communities nationwide.

Here is what you can do:

  1. Contact President Joe Biden and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and urge the Administration to rescind the executive order and pivot to a restoration of asylum, due process, and fixing the immigration system for all.

    1. Share your comment with President Joe Biden at the whitehouse.gov contact page

    2. Add your feedback on the published rule at the Regulations.gov comments page

  2. Share the messages on social media

    • Like and re-post any posts from Indivisible Chicago or other organizations that use the hashtags #SaveAsylum, #AsylumRights, or #WelcomeWithDignity.

    • Create your own posts, use the same hashtags, and tag the appropriate handles for President Biden and USCIS.

  3. Share this with others and ask them to take this action as well.

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For more information on the June 4 Executive Order, please refer to the American Immigration Council’s Analysis on the Proclamation and Interim Final Rule.