WASHINGTON, D.C. — With text of a Senate bill addressing the border and limiting asylum anticipated this week — and as Texas challenges the federal government’s authority to enforce immigration law — the following is a quote from Jennie Murray, President and CEO of the National Immigration Forum:
“We appreciate that Republican and Democratic senators have come to the table to address these challenges. At the same time, any policy changes must be effective and remain true to our values.
“The answer to asylum claims in numbers that strain our system’s capacity is to create alternate legal-immigration pathways — not giving presidents the authority to expel migrants, which has proved unsuccessful in the past, nor to make asylum inaccessible even to many people who legitimately have fled persecution and torture.
“Solutions with staying power would resource Customs and Border Protection, as well as border communities and other cities receiving migrants. On asylum, there must be a process that allows the U.S. to remain a leader in humanitarian protection for people who genuinely need it. We’re open to adjusting our asylum process, including adjusting the ‘credible fear’ standard — while also ensuring that people with strong asylum claims can make them.
“We can’t ignore that our immigration processes more broadly are outdated. Whether this week or next, Republicans and Democrats should work together on certainty for communities and employers who are benefiting from the contributions of our Afghan allies, Dreamers, people with Temporary Protected Status, and the farm workforce.
“Immigration, and immigration enforcement, are the responsibility of the federal government, not Texas or any other individual state. Republican and Democratic voters alike want us to remain a refuge for the persecuted and want broader border and immigration solutions. Our elected officials have an opportunity to create policies that unite us, rather than further feed the forces that polarize us.”