Wyden, Merkley Demand Trump Revoke Illegal Proclamation Targeting Asylum Seekers
Letter: “This cruel policy will undermine law and order in our immigration system, needlessly cause death and suffering to refugees seeking safety, and imperil our national security.”
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley joined their colleagues in calling on Donald Trump to immediately revoke an illegal Presidential Proclamation that would drastically limit the ability of refugees to claim asylum. U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar recently granted a temporary restraining order blocking implementation of the Proclamation, which directly contradicts existing statute.
“There is overwhelming evidence that this Proclamation is plainly illegal. Our immigration statutes are clear that any individual who arrives in the United States ‘whether or not at a designated port of arrival’ may apply for asylum. Our courts have long recognized this principle, repeatedly emphasizing that asylum seekers cannot have their claims denied solely because of how they entered the country,” the senators wrote in a letter to Trump on Friday.
The letter was also signed by U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tom Carper (D-DE), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Kamala D. Harris (D-CA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
A full copy of the letter can be found here.
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