Solidarity With Asylum Seekers
Calling for Humane Treatment of Asylum Seekers
The Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny, in the USA
are deeply troubled by President Trump’s continued denigration of those fleeing
untenable situations in their home countries. These are mothers and fathers,
sisters and brothers who have been forced from their homes by unimaginable
violence and insecurity; runaway
corruption; and droughts and floods linked to climate change. These are women
and girls fleeing intolerable situations of domestic violence. These are young
men and women who have no access to quality education and no hope of economic
opportunity.
These are courageous people who have rejected
cultures of corruption and exploitation. They are traveling the same road trod
by our forbearers who fled tyranny and violence in search of the American
dream. They are people of hope and promise who only want the opportunity to contribute
their toil and talent to this nation.
Today’s
rhetoric of fear and policy of division poisons our politics. We choose instead
to embrace a dream for America that is filled with hope for a nation united in
service of the common good. We stand with Pope Francis who calls us to “promote
the dignity of all our brothers and sisters, particularly the poor and the
excluded of society, those who are abandoned, immigrants and those who suffer
violence and human trafficking.”
We urge the administration to
manage refugee arrivals humanely and in a manner that respects their dignity
and rights under U.S. and international law and to:
- Allow migrants to approach our border and ask for protection in the United States and to be admitted for processing in a timely manner.
- Ensure that asylum seekers have access to legal counsel and receive a fair resolution of their claim.
- Guarantee that parents and children stay together after they are apprehended. Holding families indefinitely in detention or detaining parents while releasing their children violates the values of this nation and the standards set forth in the Flores settlement.
- Eschew detention of those awaiting adjudication of their asylum petitions in favor of alternatives that are more humane and more cost efficient.
- Direct Homeland Security to cooperate with faith-based and humanitarian organizations who are prepared to assist asylum-seekers.
The
United States has a long and proud history of welcoming immigrants and
sheltering refugees. Women religious have been blessed to be able to accompany
and serve migrant communities across this country for a very long time. We will
continue to welcome them as our national history demands and our faith
requires.
