Press Releases
08/05/2020
AG Tong Fights Against Trump Administration’s Latest Efforts to Block Asylum for Vulnerable Immigrants
(Hartford, CT) –Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general, led by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, in an amicus brief opposing the Trump Administration’s unlawful rule prohibiting immigrants from applying for asylum if they have entered the United States somewhere other than an official port of entry.A federal district court correctly vacated the Trump Administration’s rule as contrary to statutes passed by Congress allowing all immigrants fleeing persecution to apply for protection in the United States, regardless of how or where they enter. The Trump Administration is now asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to overturn that decision. The amicus brief opposes the Trump Administration’s appeal.
In the brief filed Monday, the attorneys general argue that the Trump Administration's unlawful policies harm the coalition states — where the majority of asylum seekers resettle — by leaving states to mitigate the entirely unnecessary suffering that these policies cause. The attorneys general further assert that the rule, in conjunction with other unlawful restrictions on asylum imposed by the Trump Administration, traps people fleeing persecution in dangerous, unsanitary, and overcrowded camps at the southern border, that put them at a greater risk of contracting COVID-19. Despite these conditions the Trump Administration has dramatically slowed processing times for asylum-seekers at ports of entry, leaving approximately 14,400 migrants stuck in these camps waiting for an opportunity to have their claims heard.
“This regulation shows the Trump Administration’s complete and utter disregard for basic human rights,” said Attorney General Tong. “It is unlawful, cruel and unnecessary. We will continue our fight to protect the rights of asylum seekers who come to our nation.”
The rule barring people from applying for asylum if they enter between ports of entry is just one of many restrictive and punitive policies aimed at dismantling the existing asylum system. The amicus brief argues that this rule, in combination with existing policies to turn away people at the border, makes it difficult or impossible for asylum-seekers to present their claims. Asylum seekers have reported that border officials employ tactics including falsely informing people that the United States no longer provides asylum and intimidating asylum-seekers by threatening to take away their children if they do not renounce their claim for protection.
In filing Monday’s amicus brief, Attorney General Tong joins the Attorneys General of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia.
A copy of the amicus brief is available here.
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