El Paso bishop, community leaders ask President Biden to reverse course on asylum ban
EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — A campaign for asylum rights was held by El Paso Bishop Mark Seitz, the Catholic Diocese of El Paso and other community leaders.
Seitz along with the other community and faith leaders are asking President Biden to reverse his course on his proposed asylum ban.
The campaign called "Welcome with Dignity" was held over Zoom.
To watch the recording click here. The passcode for the meeting is: (k16Q&kmq).
“As a Bishop on the border, I am deeply troubled by this new asylum-limiting proposal from the administration. This policy is a significant step backward at a time when we really need meaningful reform. It is also a policy that perpetuates the misguided notion that heavy-handed enforcement measures are somehow a solution to the realities at the border. Decades of similar approaches have demonstrated otherwise. The Catholic Church in the United States has consistently rejected policies that weaken asylum access for those most in need of relief and expose them to further danger. Because that is the likely result of this proposal, I strongly oppose its implementation," said Seitz.
“For the Jewish community, we understand that immigration policy is a matter of life and death We can’t let history repeat itself. We’re going to be loud in our insistence that people seeking protection were created in the image of the divine. The Biden administration wants to reject more people and send them back to danger. If they move forward with this ban, it will be a violation of our nation’s legal and moral obligations. Instead of implementing this rule, they must prioritize the protection of human rights over all else," said Rabbi Jacobs, CEO of T’ruah.
The problem of child labor and exploitation will also be discussed in the meeting.
“The child-labor abuses documented by the New York Times and Reuters are the horrifying but predictable outcome of a broken protection system that should prevent such abuses. Responses to these shocking revelations must include accountability from the companies that hire children and the companies that permit them to work, including the brands that profit from child labor," said Mario Bruzzone the senior policy advisor with the Women's Refugee Commission.
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