Castro Urges Barr and Wolf to Reverse Cruel Changes to Asylum Eligibility

Statement

Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Vice Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, and member of the House Intelligence and Education and Labor Committees, sent a letter with twelve other members of Congress to Secretary Chad Wolf at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Attorney General William Barr at the U.S. Department of Justice, urging opposition to proposed rules to amend regulations related to eligibility for asylum, and calling for their immediate reconsideration:

"These proposed changes are unnecessary, harsh, and an unlawful gutting of the asylum protections enshrined in the United States and in international law. Chad Wolf and Bill Barr are once again sidestepping precedent and submitting to total xenophobia and bigotry. They should instead rededicate their misguided efforts to ensuring individuals and families fleeing violence are granted full access to legal asylum protections in the U.S.," said Congressman Castro. "This Administration has continued to exclude refugees from securing citizenship in the U.S. asylum system. These protections in U.S. law are sacred, and the proposed criminal bars only work to destroy a long-standing infrastructure that protects refugees from persecution. To strip away these inalienable rights is as inhumane as it is wrong. I urge the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security and Justice to reconsider these cruel changes swiftly and without delay."

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