February 8, 2019
Contact: Stacie Blake
sblake@uscridc.org | 703.310.1166
On February 7, 2019, the President of the United States extended Proclamation 9822 ‘Addressing Mass Migration Through the Southern Border of the United States’. The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) stands in opposition to the provisions of this Proclamation.
USCRI supports any individual who is present in the United States or who arrives in the United States, whether or not at a designated port of entry, in their right to apply for asylum here. Our position is grounded in U.S. law, which supports the same in section 208 (a)(1) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
President/CEO of USCRI Eskinder Negash said, “Everyone has a right to seek and enjoy asylum from persecution in other countries. This right is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and must be observed.”
The United States is also a signatory to the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, which defines the term “refugee”, offers refugees protection, and forms the basis for current U.S. law on asylum.
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For over 100 years USCRI has protected the rights and addressed the needs of persons in forced or voluntary migration worldwide and supports their transition to a dignified life.