As someone who believes in the dignity and sanctity of human life, I cannot stand with an administration or policy that turns away those who seek safety at our shores. The United States has a long history of protecting the world's most vulnerable and welcoming the stranger, but the Biden Administration's continuation of the Trump-era Title 42 policy, which denies asylum seekers their inalienable rights, defies those core tenets and brings shame on our nation's legacy of welcome.
Our vulnerable Haitian neighbors have arrived at our border after fleeing a country that has undergone great political turmoil and cataclysmic natural disaster, hoping only to find refuge in the land of the free. Rather than receiving a warm welcome and the opportunity to apply for asylum, however, Haitians have been whipped, chased on horseback, forced to live in squalor, and now unceremoniously deported to danger in Mexico and Haiti. These actions certainly do not reflect the Administration's promises of welcome. Instead, the actions of the U.S. Border Patrol and the continued implementation of the Title 42 policy reflect a broken immigration system long-grounded in racism, inequality, and cruelty.
We have a moral and legal obligation to our Haitian brothers and sisters and the thousands of other migrants waiting on our Southern border to efficiently process their asylum cases. I call on the Biden Administration to immediately end expulsion flights, hold CBP accountable for its systemic mistreatment of migrants, and end Title 42 and any policy that separates families and denies asylum seekers the right to seek protection. It is time for our nation to step into the light and for your Administration to fulfill its promise to create a just, humane, and more welcoming immigration system. Thanks.
