Juarez City.- The Agency of the United Nations Organization for Refugees (Acnur) urged the United States not to implement a proposal that hinders access to asylum, and assured that it was prepared to help the Government of Joe Biden to generate regular and safe routes before the growing movements of refugees and migrants.
Given the end of the Public Health Order of Title 42 of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which is expected on May 11, the Department of Homeland Security ( DHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that migrants must first seek protection in a country through which they are traveling to the United States, unless they meet specific exceptions, and will have to schedule their entry through the mobile application CBP One, as they currently do in the face of a saturated system.
If this measure is applied, the Government of Joe Biden “would restrict the fundamental human right to seek asylum for people who have transited through another country and who have arrived in the United States without authorization,” the UN agency said in a statement. press.
He announced that as part of the public rule-making process in the United States, he has submitted comments urging the government of the neighboring country to reconsider the proposed provision to respond to the arrival of asylum seekers at the southern border.
“UNHCR’s comments conclude that some key elements of the proposal are incompatible with the principles of international refugee law.”
In addition, UNHCR offered information on alternatives to address the complex challenges at the border, which would also honor the long US tradition of protecting people forced to flee, it reported.
He noted that the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees recognizes that refugees may have no choice but to enter a country of asylum irregularly.
“In particular, for UNHCR it is worrying that, although the provision provides grounds for challenge, the proposal could give rise to cases of refoulement (that is, the forced return of people to contexts in which their lives or safety are in danger) , which is prohibited by international law,” he stressed.
The international agency also indicated the need to effectively address the growing and increasingly complex movements of refugees and migrants in the Americas. “People in situations of human mobility are exposed to serious risks, which include exploitation and abuse by criminal networks. UNHCR also recognizes that the United States faces significant challenges in relation to the number of arrivals of asylum seekers and migrants at the country’s southern border. UNHCR is committed to supporting the United States in preparing broader reforms, including enhancing the equity, quality, and efficiency of the asylum system,” he said.
He reported that in his comments he detailed good practices to establish systems of this type, such as the adoption of simplified processing, reception and registration procedures at the borders, as well as access to legal advisory services.
“UNHCR has applauded various initiatives by the United States to expand regular and safe roads. Although these are very necessary, they should not affect access to asylum, but rather be accompanied by the strengthening of processing capacities and efficient measures to manage the reception and entry mechanisms at regular border crossings in the United States. Consistent with the objectives of the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection and other international commitments, it is essential that countries work together to ensure collaborative and coordinated responses to the growing movements of refugees and migrants in the Americas,” he noted. .
The UN Refugee Agency said it was prepared to support such efforts throughout the region, and with the United States, with a focus on genuine responsibility-sharing, strengthening asylum systems, creating safe pathways to provide protection and find solutions.
