FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 4, 2024

Interviews available

CONTACT:

Yanci Nuñez | ynunez@alianzaamericas.org (312) 866-0312

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Alianza Americas, a network of organizations led by immigrants of Latin American and Caribbean origin throughout the United States, reject President Biden’s executive order to close down the border because it continues to signal to both parties that immigrants will be used as political pawns in the upcoming elections. “The initiative would bar thousands of deserving asylum seekers from seeking humanitarian protection by closing the border. This repeats many of the past Republican and Democratic administration failures in addressing immigration and its root causes while dehumanizing immigrants by playing politics that hurt our families,” says Oscar Chacón, Executive Director of Alianza Americas.

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For the last month, administration officials have been developing an executive action that would drastically limit migrants’ ability to seek asylum at the US southern border, essentially closing the border and denying opportunities for asylum seekers to reach U.S. immigration authorities. The order is akin to a racist and inhumane measure from the Trump era. It deploys an authority known as 212f between ports of entry to try to clamp down on border crossings.

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“Alianza Americas insists that executive actions cannot be punitive. Instead, the Biden Administration should help create pathways for vulnerable people fleeing their countries. Unfortunately, President Biden and Republican lawmakers have united in a politically motivated attack against immigrants fleeing persecution and death.” said Chacón.

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The facts and data clearly show that immigrants are an economic boom to the United States economy, and we play very positive roles in the communities where we live. The continued scapegoating of immigrants by Republicans is a racist distraction from real solutions to the real problems we face. These include growing economic inequality, increasing cost of healthcare, and a frayed social safety net that fails to support basic social protections such as paid family leave. 

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“In the presence of anti-immigrant narratives, we stand against any politicians of any party, including President Biden, who is targeting us with measures that will only increase the number of those removed from the U.S., many of whom face persecution, danger, and immense suffering. The U.S. should be an example of a new paradigm of humanitarian protection laws and programs that effectively protect and support people who are being forced to migrate. Such a system should be based on justice and fairness. Sadly, the U.S. is abdicating that role,” added Chacón.

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Alianza Americas is the premier transnational advocacy network of Latin American migrant-led organizations working in the United States, across the Americas, and globally to create an inclusive, equitable and sustainable way of life for communities across North, Central and South America.

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