USCCB: Biden administration’s proposed asylum restrictions are ‘unlawful, unjust, and unwise’
March 30, 2023
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CWN Editor's Note: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ general counsel and associate general counsel have urged the Biden administration not to implement proposed restrictions that would bar asylum applications from migrants who have not previously sought asylum in nations through which they have traveled on the way to the US.
The new regulations would also require asylum applicants to use a smart phone app to schedule an appointment with US officials at the US-Mexico border.
Echoing an earlier statement by the bishops’ migration committee chairman, Anthony Picarello, Jr. and Carlos Cisneros said in their March 27 letter that “the Church does recognize the right of countries to uphold their borders as an exercise of their sovereignty and self-determination.”
“However, at the same time, Catholic teaching maintains that those fleeing violence, persecution, and other affronts to human dignity should be protected, and the preservation of human life is paramount,” they continued. “The USCCB has repeatedly affirmed the right to seek asylum and is thus deeply troubled by policy changes that undermine that right.”
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