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On Monday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that he was reversing decades of American policy and ordered immigration judges to stop granting asylum visas to most victims of domestic abuse, gang violence, and others persecuted by private actors. Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27), released the following statement:
“The Trump Administration told us their immigration crackdown was focused on criminals. Now, they’re turning their sights on victims
“This is a cruel policy, and like most acts of hate, it defies logic and humanitarian principles. These asylum seekers are mostly women for whom being returned home can be a death sentence, or, at the very least, condemns them to violence and retribution for trying to flee their abusers. Others are children who may have witnessed crimes or received death threats for refusing to join a gang. Here they have a chance at a normal life. There, they face punishment for trying to live their lives free of persecution.
“For decades, America has proudly granted asylum to these people under the belief that everybody deserves a chance for safety, and if you can make it here and prove your case in a court of law after vigorous legal review, we will not send you back to a dangerous situation. Our existing policy was a triumph of rule of law and safety – the two things Attorney General Sessions claims motivate him. But this proves his intentions are to remove as many non-white people from the country as possible, even if it means handing a woman over to somebody who we know will beat her.
“We cannot protect everybody in the world from harm. But at the very least, we should not intentionally deliver those who are here into harm’s way. That is what this inhumane decision does. It is inexcusable.”
