STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 5, 2024

CONTACT:
James Woo, Advancing Justice-Atlanta, jwoo@advancingjustice-atlanta.org

Atlanta, GA - The Georgia Immigrant Rights Alliance denounces new executive actions that will ban access to the asylum process for many individuals seeking safety from violence and persecution in the United States.

The United States has long been a destination for people around the world enduring forced migration and seeking safety from violence and persecution. The right to seek asylum exists in a long-established national and international legal framework that upholds individual rights and has served as the origin of many communities that make up the fabric of the United States today. 

The President’s Executive Order is a stark betrayal of this history and these values, and relies on the same dubious authority that previous administrations have used to justify the bar on entry for individuals from Muslim-majority countries - the infamous Muslim and African ban. By effectively denying access to asylum, this executive order will also result in more dangerous crossings, further endangering communities who are already vulnerable.

“We call on the president to respond to migration at the southern border with humanity and dignity. We need humane investment into the asylum and immigration system - not arbitrary and flawed policies that do nothing to address challenges but instead increase human suffering at the border,” says Murtaza Khwaja, Executive Director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Atlanta, a member of the Georgia Immigrant Rights Alliance that provides immigration legal services to asylum-seekers. 

“We feel betrayed by President Biden and his recent decision about the southern border. Seeking asylum is a human right. When people are fleeing violence and extreme conditions, the U.S should do better. Georgia thrives thanks to the labor and contributions of asylum seekers. We denounce his action and call on him to deliver on the promises that he made to immigrant communities,” says Daniela Rodriguez, Executive Director of Migrant Equity Southeast, a member of the Georgia Immigrant Rights Alliance that provides direct services and assistance to asylum seekers based in coastal Georgia.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI), and other marginalized communities in Georgia and the Southeast