Standing Up for Asylum-Seekers: Opposing Trump’s “Turnback Policy”

Last week, AG Racine joined a coalition of 20 AGs in opposing The Trump administration’s new "Turnback Policy," which unlawfully denies individuals access to the asylum process at ports of entry and turns them away. The policy is contrary to the United States’ treaty obligations and federal law, which require immigration officials to promptly give asylum-seekers a fair chance to present their claims.

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Under the Turnback Policy, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol have used various methods to turn away asylum-seekers, including:

  • Misrepresentations;
  • Threats and intimidation;
  • Coercion;
  • Verbal and physical abuse; and
  • Putting artificial, daily limits on the number of asylum-seekers allowed to cross the border.

The coalition also argues that states will be harmed because they invest resources to provide education, healthcare, and other services to immigrants residing within their borders, including asylum-seekers once they are in the country. State and local governments will incur the cost of providing services to asylum-seekers who suffer unnecessary trauma as a result of this policy.

Having welcomed over 70 percent of the national total of asylees, the coalition of states have a profound interest in ensuring that the rights and welfare of asylum-seekers are protected. AG Racine is committed to standing up for the rights of those fleeing their country because of violence and persecution and stopping this policy that forces them to languish at the border under inhumane conditions.