WASHINGTON, D.C. — Late last week, President Biden issued a statement announcing that “what’s been negotiated [in the supplemental spending bill] would… be the toughest and fairest set of reforms to secure the border,” and give the President “a new emergency authority to shut down the border.” This extreme proposal and others currently under consideration would eliminate a lifesaving legal immigration pathway, harm asylum-seeking people and their families, and create more chaos at the southern border.

Said Nicole Melaku, National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) executive director,”The Biden administration’s statement is yet another example of how far they have strayed from their early promises to protect immigrants and support access to asylum. This ‘tough’ proposal is far from ‘fair.’ It is no different from the racist and xenophobic policies of the Trump administration. The purpose of the supplemental funding bill should simply be to keep the functioning of the US government going – but now we see it being used as a tool to fund wars against communities of color and cause harm to immigrants and refugees.

“It’s no wonder that immigrant communities and many Americans are losing faith in this administration. We are gravely disappointed that our early hopes to work with President Biden to advance immigrant rights and welcome has turned into pushing back on his attempts to pass anti-immigrant measures that will separate families, detain and deport people seeking safety, and put an end to our nation’s promise to protect those fleeing harm.”

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The National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) is a multi-ethnic, multiracial coalition of 69 of the nation’s largest immigrant and refugee rights organizations with reach across over 40 states. Together with our members, we advance immigrant and refugee equity and inclusion, build and expand immigration legal services and integration programming capacity, and drive campaigns that strengthen democracy through increased civic participation. See our website for more information at partnershipfornewamericans.org