Conn. should stop the Grinch from stealing asylum
In this season of gifts, asylum seekers come without packages, bags, or boxes. In fact, many come with only the dream of a new life and an extraordinary ability to persevere.
The concept of asylum is found in numerous sacred texts and appears in nearly all of the world’s major religions. It is also a bedrock principle of our country and international law. More than 40 years ago, Congress passed the Refugee Act of 1980 on a bipartisan basis by overwhelming margins. This act was based on the 1967 U.N. Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees. The landmark law established, among other things, a framework to extend asylum to those fleeing persecution based on their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. It was a significant humanitarian achievement in our nation’s history, motivated in part by the tragedies that occurred when the United States turned away those fleeing the Holocaust.
In Connecticut and many other communities across the United States, asylum seekers are hoping to find refuge, having fled violence and persecution in their home countries. Yet right now in Congressional negotiations over the federal budget, some senators are wrongfully demanding fundamental changes in our immigration system, including seriously curtailing the degree to which our country offers asylum. If they succeed, thousands of migrants who would otherwise have been allowed time to make their case — to show that they fear persecution — will instead be summarily sent back to their home countries because they were unable to meet an impossibly strict standard in an interview soon after they arrived here. In many cases, the results will be tragic. Connecticut’s own U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, a lead budget negotiator for the Senate Democrats, is playing an important role in deciding whether to accept this proposal.
Curtailing the historic right of asylum is not the right response to the problems at the U.S.-Mexico border. As noted above, Congress already created a rational and fair framework in 1980 to process migrants’ asylum claims, and this framework has been a bedrock principle in immigration law. The law is not working as it was intended due to inadequate resources. Congress can correct this shortcoming and add funding in the 2024 budget. This is the right response, rather than suddenly cutting off asylum for thousands of deserving migrants — which, incidentally, would only make the chaos and confusion at the border worse.
Because Building One Community represents people seeking asylum in the Immigration Court in Hartford, we know that many of those seeking asylum have suffered terribly at the hands of criminals and even government officials — through threats, violence, and kidnapping. If our fundamental asylum laws are kept intact, and immigrants are given a chance and allowed to stay in the United States, they can heal, thrive, and contribute immeasurably to the economy and the fabric of our society. But this won’t be possible if Congress puts insurmountable barriers in their path. Senator Murphy should not let that happen.
Every day at Building One Community and the Interfaith Council, we witness acts of compassion and simple human kindness, by immigrants and nativeborn people alike. We see parents teaching their children about sharing. We see people living out what is at the heart of all of the world’s religions: to love and serve God by loving and serving our neighbors. It would make anyone’s heart grow three sizes bigger, like the Grinch in Seuss’s tale. What we see would make those senators proposing this fundamental change pause and reverse themselves before going over the precipice with our true gift — our values.
It is time to stand up for what is right, just like Congressional Democrats and Republicans did 43 years ago in passing the Refugee Act of 1980. It is not just our humane and fair asylum law that is at risk right now, it’s our morals as Connecticut residents and Americans.
Anka Badurina, PhD is the executive director of Building One Community, based in Stamford. The Rev. Mark Lingle is the part-time executive director of the Interfaith Council of Southwestern Connecticut.