The United Nations Organization recalled on Tuesday that Access to asylum is a “fundamental human right” following the measures announced by the president of the United States, Joe Biden, to prevent all migrants who cross the southern border illegally from receiving refuge, in order to facilitate the expulsions of those who are not legally protected to stay in that North American nation .
“I just want to remind you that the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and our position is also that in all situations we reiterate that Seeking asylum is a fundamental human right, and access to asylum for those who need it is essential,” said the associate spokesperson for the UN Secretary General, Florencia Soto Niño.
“UNHCR is very concerned about the new asylum measures announced today by the United States, which They impose harsh restrictions on the right to request asylum in the country,” said the entity in charge of refugees in a statement.
The agency added that “the new measures will deny access to asylum to many people who need international protection and who “Now they will be without a viable option to seek safety.”
“Any person who claims to have well-founded fears of being persecuted in their country of origin must have access to safe territory” and has the right to “and evaluate this allegation before being subject to deportation or expulsion.”added the UN agency.
The UNHCR statement ended by stating that “we call on the United States to comply with its international obligations and We urge the government to reconsider restrictions that undermine the fundamental right to request asylum.”
The measures dictated by the American ruler are not permanent and will be suspended when the number of migrants crossing the border is low enough for the system to manage it safely and effectively. and include humanitarian exceptions, such as unaccompanied minors, victims of trafficking, or sick people.
Thus, the authorities They may deport those who do not meet some of these requirements when the figure of 2,500 daily arrests is exceeded, at a time when nearly 4,000 arrests were recorded each day in April. The protocols would relax again once they drop to 1,500 arrests for 14 days, an extreme that has not been recorded since July 2020, at the time of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This is one of the toughest actions of the Biden Administration in relation to the southern border, one of the key issues of the 2024 presidential race and that for many is one of the main headaches for the head of the White House, while Trump feels very comfortable with anti-immigration rhetoric.
It is enough to remember that during his mandate the politician, republican withdrawal of the US from the United Nations pact on migration. Following his nationalist motto America first, On that occasion, he ordered the withdrawal of his country from the ongoing UN project to reach a non-binding agreement with common guidelines for the humanitarian management of migratory and refugee movements.
“Our decisions on immigration policies “They will be taken by Americans and only by Americans.”warned the candidate for a new presidential term in the White House.
