Credit: @garytog on Adobe Stock
On June 4th, 2024, the Biden Administration announced changes to the immigration process that will severely restrict access to asylum for people arriving at the southern border, including many adults and families arriving in the Rio Grande Valley border region served by ProBAR.
Under this new policy, people apprehended at the Southern Border during “emergency border circumstances” will no longer have access to asylum in the absence of exceptionally compelling circumstances, such as qualifying medical emergencies. If they do not manifest fear as per the definition of CBP, they will be deported immediately. People granted Credible Fear Interviews (CFIs) must also meet a higher eligibility standard to be considered for critical humanitarian protections. This policy will remain in effect with limited exceptions, such as for unaccompanied children, until the daily average of CBP encounters at the Southern Border drops below 1,500 for a week, which is lower than the daily average for most of the past 24 years.
In an official statement, ABA President Mary Smith urges that this decision “jeopardizes the safety of thousands of vulnerable individuals and families on both sides of the border and diminishes America’s longstanding role as a sanctuary for the oppressed.”
Read President Smith’s comments to DHS in opposition to the rule here.
To learn more about what this decision means for the people we serve, check out this helpful Q&A from the National Immigration Forum.