ILAP Statement on the End of Title 42 and Implementation of Biden Asylum Ban

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 11, 2023  
CONTACT: press@ilapmaine.org 

PORTLAND, ME – ILAP applauds the advocates around the country who have worked tirelessly to bring about the end of Title 42 – a deadly, unjust policy that has stripped asylum seekers of their legal and human rights and has left them in harm’s way. But as Title 42 winds down, the Biden administration is putting in place a new asylum ban that, like Title 42, will deny access to asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border; disproportionately impact Black and Brown immigrants; and leave people trapped in dangerous situations. ILAP opposes this policy and was one of the more than 50,000 individuals and organizations that submitted a public comment against this ban in the short 30-day public comment period. 

Asylum seekers have been forcibly displaced from their homes and arrive in the United States in search of survival. Because seeking asylum is a last resort, denying access to asylum at the border only forces people to take more dangerous journeys to get to safety. 

ILAP is one of the many services providers across Maine working hard to assist and serve asylum seekers in our communities. Our role in welcoming and supporting asylum seekers and other immigrants is to provide high-quality immigration legal services to as many people as we can reach.  

ILAP calls for building a just, accessible, and welcoming asylum system and support structure from the Southern border to communities across the country, including here in Maine. Everyone deserves a safe place to live and thrive. Resource challenges that we are facing in Maine and beyond should be met with resource solutions, not denying access to life-saving humanitarian protection. We can and must welcome people with dignity. When we do so, we strengthen our communities for everyone.  

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