Sara A. Carter by Jenny Goldsberry
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi railed against the U.S. for sticking to its Title 42 standard and asked that the country instead open its borders to asylum seekers. Title 42 is a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention directive that was enforced in March 2020, to prevent the further spread of COVID-19.
âI appeal to the government of the United States to swiftly lift the public health-related asylum restrictions that remain in effect at the border and to restore access to asylum for the people whose lives depend on it,â Grandi said in a statement Thursday. He claimed it would be âin line with international legal and human rights obligations.â
Hundreds of thousands of migrants requesting asylum at the southern border have been turned away because of the directive. As a result, crime increased in Mexican border towns.
âA system which allows a small number of asylum seekers to be admitted daily, however, carries with it a number of risks,â Grandi said. âand is not an adequate response. There is an urgent need to take further steps to provide access at ports of entry which remain closed to most asylum-seekers owing to the Title 42 public health order.â He even called the strategy âmorally reprehensibleâ in a tweet.
Forcibly transferring asylum seekers to another country for processing undermines refugee protection.
It is also morally reprehensible as it exploits the fragility of developing countries and the vulnerability of asylum seekers.
UNHCRâs statement:??https://t.co/CwYwho9GRZ
— Filippo Grandi (@FilippoGrandi) May 21, 2021
Grandi seems to think that otherwise, illegal crossings will increase. âI encourage the US administration to continue its work to strengthen its asylum system and diversify safe pathways so asylum-seekers are not forced to resort to dangerous crossings facilitated by smugglers.â
Since the directive is by the CDC, it will be up to the CDC to halt the order. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has said time and time again that he cannot make any changes to the public health order.
