President Biden Marks Pride Month With Executive Action That Will Send Queer Refugees Back to Brutal Violence

New York, NY (June 5, 2024) — Yesterday, President Biden issued a proclamation and rule that will effectively shut down the border to asylum seekers when the number of border encounters reaches 2,500 per day for seven consecutive days. The rule is effective immediately.

In response, Bridget Crawford, Immigration Equality’s Director of Law & Policy issued the following statement:

“President Biden is playing craven political games with the lives of refugees, including LGBTQ people fleeing persecution, instead of implementing workable solutions. Make no mistake: this proclamation is nothing new. It just rehashes the same ineffective, cruelty-first policies peddled by President Trump—policies that were struck down by the courts, and that President Biden campaigned against.

“Not only is President Biden’s new policy illegal, it will prove ineffective. Deterrence-based policies have always failed, and they will always fail. Punishing refugees with cruelty will never stop them from seeking safety. Rather than solving the problems plaguing our antiquated immigration system, this policy will sow chaos at the border and incentivize organized crime.

“What the American people want, and our communities need, is a balanced approach to immigration management that supports border communities while enabling refugees to seek protection from harm in a fair and orderly manner.

“Instead of unjust and inhumane policies, we should be creating additional lawful pathways to the U.S. to relieve pressure at the border and bolster our economy, like the President has done with his successful parole programs for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans. We should also increase humane and orderly screening and processing at ports of entry, which would reduce irregular crossings.”

“For queer and trans asylum seekers, asylum is a critical lifeline. LGBTQ people are persecuted around the globe for being who they are. During Pride month the President should be proclaiming his commitment to protect LGBTQ refugees and upholding his promise to them, not enacting policies that will result in the preventable persecution, torture and death of queer and trans asylum seekers.”