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The Advocates for Human Rights Welcomes Announced Immigration Policies; Continues to Call on the U.S. to Respect Migrant Rights

Minneapolis, MN (June 18, 2024) -- The Advocates for Human Rights welcomes the changes the Biden Administration proposed today that will bolster U.S. efforts to provide safe, orderly, and fair pathways for migration. “The changes reflect an understanding that communities thrive when we welcome people with dignity, ensure family unity, and prioritize logical solutions over harmful political gamesmanship,” said Deputy Director, Michele Garnett McKenzie. “As congressional failure to productively act continues, these changes are much-needed steps toward ensuring our immigration laws uphold basic human rights.”

The President’s announced changes provide much-needed relief to many mixed-status families. By allowing “parole-in-place,” the changes will ensure that spouses of U.S. citizens who qualify are not barred from long-term family unity solely based on their manner of entry. This workable policy furthers human rights principles which guard family unity as a crucial right. The announcement also includes improved processing for employers who wish to hire DACA recipients with university degrees.

“While we welcome these steps, we are disheartened that they come just days after President Biden issued one of the most harmful and sweeping anti-asylum policies in our history. The June 4 order and regulations deny asylum access to nearly everyone seeking safety through the border based solely on arbitrary numbers of border encounters—directly violating federal law and international human rights obligations. This continues a failed, decades-long attempt to deter people from seeking safety, rather than investing in the humanitarian and adjudications infrastructure needed to ensure no one is returned to face persecution or torture,” continued Garnett McKenzie.

 “The U.S. can, and must, fix our immigration system through efforts like those announced today. Practical policies like parole-in-place further our domestic and international human rights obligations, such as family unity and the ability to migrate through safe, orderly and fair pathways,” concluded Garnett McKenzie. “The first step, however, must be finding the political will to stop playing partisan games with the lives of migrants and begin to truly invest in policies that work.”

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