AGs fight for asylum protections for Caribbean immigrants

ACOALITION of 19 attorneys general from around the United States (US) has challenged the Trump administration’s efforts to potentially undermine asylum protections for thousands of Caribbean and other immigrants.

In an amicus brief supporting the plaintiffs in UT v Barr, the coalition pushed back against an interim final rule in which it said the US government is “effectively ignoring asylum claims by sending people — many of whom are fleeing violence and persecution — to third countries that have signed asylum cooperative agreements with the federal government”.

“Not only does the rule harm asylum seekers, but it deprives states of the valuable economic contributions made by immigrants — including asylees and asylum seekers — who join workforces across the country, start entrepreneurial ventures, and pay millions of dollars in taxes each year,” said the coalition in a statement.

“The president and his administration are once again showing their lack of compassion and humanity by endangering the safety of asylum seekers fleeing for their lives,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is leading the coalition fight.

“Instead of making it harder for immigrants to flee persecution, danger, and great peril, the administration should be welcoming these individuals, who provide extraordinary contributions to America’s culture and economy,” she said.

“Our coalition will continue fighting for these asylum seekers and the founding principles of our nation, which have always welcomed immigrants.”

In the amicus brief, filed with the US District Court for the District of Columbia, the coalition highlighted the “irreparable harms” the rule will have on states and asylum seekers.

DANGERS

“In particular, the rule threatens the states’ economies, undermines state-funded legal service programmes, and contravenes the states’ interests in keeping families together,” said the coalition, stating that it “welcomes thousands of asylum seekers each year”, adding that “the rule directly threatens these individuals by forcing them into dangerous circumstances in third countries that are not equipped to handle their claims”.

The amicus brief is just the most recent in a number of actions James said she has taken to safeguard asylum protections for Caribbean and other immigrants.

Last month, James fought back against a similar Trump administration rule that will bar tens of thousands of people from asylum if they do not apply in a third country while en route to the United States.