Feinstein: Changes to Asylum System Illegal, Heartless

Washington—Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today released the following statement on changes the Trump administration has proposed for the asylum process:

            “Today’s announcement that the Trump administration will bar individuals and families from receiving asylum in the United States is not only illegal, it’s heartless and it’s cruel.

            “These families are fleeing some of the most violent, dangerous countries in the world such as El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Allowing them to seek protection in the United States isn’t a loophole, as the president says and Republicans continue to repeat, it’s a fundamental part of what makes us American.

            “This administration could be working to improve conditions in the Northern Triangle countries from which many families are fleeing by spending the $1.1 billion Congress has already set aside for such efforts. Or this administration could stop preventing people from applying for asylum legally at ports of entry. Instead, top officials are coming up with new ways to attack vulnerable immigrants, including turning away lawful claims for asylum. This war on immigration must end.”

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