In response to the announcement made by President Biden regarding the expansion of criminal prosecutions at the U.S.-Mexico border without authorization today, Amy Fischer, Director of Refugee and Migrant Rights at Amnesty International USA, made the following statement:
“The decision by President Biden to prosecute migrants and asylum seekers with criminal charges in U.S. Federal Court is not only unconscionable, it shows complete contempt and disregard for the human rights of people in search of safety.
“This policy that the Biden administration is touting is the same one used by the Trump administration to separate families at the border and create lasting harm to thousands of families.
“Time and again, we’ve seen President Biden move away from actions that welcome people and build a functional foundation for asylum to enacting cruel policies that criminalize people for escaping danger and deter people from seeking safety.
“Playing politics with the lives of human beings is always wrong and never the answer. Amnesty International calls on the Biden administration to stop infringing on human rights and enact policies of welcome.”
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