The Trump administration’s new policy to turn away certain asylum seekers at the border not only puts thousands of people at risk but also dramatically alters essential protections enshrined in
domestic and international law. It is an attack on all immigrants and the values we claim to uphold as a country.

New guidance directing US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to give officers the authority to turn away individuals at the border who claim asylum as a result of domestic and gang violence before they can plead their case in court is outright cruel and shameful.

By denying them refuge, the Trump administration effectively is sending women, men and children who have suffered unspeakable violence to their deaths in their home countries.

We cannot let the president’s anti-immigrant agenda dictate who is and isn’t worthy of protection from harm and persecution. It is our moral responsibility to give every person who comes to a port of entry in search of refuge a chance at a better life.