Refugees International Welcomes the Introduction of Biden Immigration Bill

Please see below statement from Refugees International President Eric P. Schwartz:

“Refugees International welcomes the introduction of the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021. The bill will not only bring millions of immigrants out of the shadows, but will help unite separated families, increase fairness in the immigration courts, and promote education and integration of refugees and immigrants. 

We are particularly heartened by provisions providing access to green cards for those with Temporary Protected Status, establishing special immigrant visas for Syrians, and increasing refugee resettlement for Central Americans as well as critical funding for a U.S. strategy for engagement in Central America. We also welcome the inclusion of efforts to combat corruption, impunity, gender-based violence, and food insecurity in Central America and measures to strengthen education and climate change mitigation efforts.

We are encouraged by the Act’s call for expanded access to counsel and increased use of community-based case management, rather than detention for asylum seekers. And we hope the bill’s mandate for increased port capacity to process asylum seekers and improved standard of care for those in U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody is just the beginning of a restoration and expansion of asylum protections at the U.S. southern border. 

The U.S. Citizenship Act incorporates provisions of legislation long supported by Refugees International, such as the No Ban Act, which would limit executive authority to ban admission based on religion, and the Immigrant Witness and Victims Protection Act, which would increase access to protection for immigrant survivors of domestic and sexual violence, human trafficking, and other serious crimes. 

We commend this wide-ranging bill and call on members of Congress to support this important legislation.”  

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Sarah Sheffer at ssheffer@refugeesinternational.org or +1 202 540 7029.