Author: Yadira Sánchez-Esparza
Did you know that the pandemic is STILL being used as justification for refusing, detaining, and expelling asylum-seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border? After almost three years, the good news is that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has already acted to revoke Title 42 thanks to your advocacy! Unfortunately, the courts have kept it in place..
And now, anti-immigrant political leaders want to ensure that Title 42 continues to restrict asylum at the border, and are pushing negative amendments to extend Title 42 through Congress.
Here are just a few reasons why we are not backing down!:
- Title 42 does not deter those seeking safety in the United States, but only pushes them into more dangerous circumstances–as we can see in the horrific tragedy of 53 migrant lives lost in the back of a tractor trailer in San Antonio, Texas. It simply isn’t true that U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) does not have the capacity to process asylum-seekers in a safe and orderly manner at the border. We have seen how CBP can process asylum-seekers efficiently when the political will is there, such as when certain nationalities were exempted from Title 42.
What Is Happening Now?
As you are reading this, members of Congress are trying to make this policy permanent by attaching amendments to keep Title 42 in as many bills as they can manage, including budget bills. We can’t let these bills pass and let the cruelty continue at the border. It is more urgent than ever to speak up about ending Title 42.
Today, Thursday July 21, we are asking you to join the “Heal Not Harm Call In Days” with grassroot activists around the country and with our partners at the Interfaith Immigration Coalition and the Welcome With Dignity campaign.
What You Can Do?
CALL YOUR SENATORS AND HOUSE REPRESENTATIVES! It is important to call both to express your support for ending Title 42 once and for all! Find the contact information for your member of Congress here, call their DC office, and use the sample script below.
CALL SCRIPT:
“Hello, My name is [NAME], and as your constituent from [CITY, TOWN, STATE, ZIP CODE], I welcomed the CDC’s announcement to end the inhumane policy known as Title 42. But now I am deeply disturbed to see new proposals attempting to undermine the CDC and keep Title 42 in place indefinitely as standalone bills or amendments to must-pass legislation. I urge Representative/ Senator[YOUR REP’S/ SENATOR’S LAST NAME] to oppose any and all legislative efforts designed to keep Title 42 in place and block access to asylum. Over the past two years, we have learned that this policy had nothing to do with public health. This extreme anti-immigrant policy counters our values as a country and our legal commitments to refugees and asylum seekers. By saying no, Representative/ Senator [YOUR REP’S LAST NAME] can help U.S. policy move towards welcoming children, men, women, and families fleeing violence to our country and away from cruelty. Thank you for your time.”
Restoring asylum won’t be possible without your activism. Let’s restore access to asylum at our border together now.
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