For Immediate Release: June 5, 2024
Contact: Virginia Lucy, media@napawf.org

WASHINGTON D.C. – On Tuesday afternoon, President Biden invoked his executive authority to summarily deport asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border. Revised procedures will expedite removal, diminish due process, and harm immigrants and migrants. 

Chinese migrant workers are among the fastest growing groups of people seeking refuge in the U.S. through the southern border, as well as unprecedented numbers of Indian immigrants, many of whom are escaping oppression and mistreatment in their country of origin. 

NAPAWF’s Executive Director, Sung Yeon Choimorrow, issued the following statement:

“NAPAWF is deeply concerned about the lasting implications of President Biden’s executive order. This decision will hurt the health, well-being, and dignity of immigrant and migrant communities—including Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders —simply seeking the promise of safety in the United States, something this Administration has expressed support for in the past.  

“This inhumane and counterproductive measure will create more dysfunction at the border. Rather, the President should pursue practical measures that bolster fair and timely processing of applications, expand legal pathways, and support the communities and nonprofits that have worked to welcome immigrants and migrants in the absence of government action. NAPAWF urges the Biden Administration to center the dignity and safety of these asylum seekers and reverse course. The new executive order is a political solution that encourages anti-immigrant rhetoric and violence – ultimately endangering immigrants and migrants, our families, and our communities.”

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The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) is the only multi-issue, progressive, community organizing and policy advocacy organization for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women and girls in the U.S. NAPAWF’s mission is to build collective power so that all AAPI women and girls can have full agency over our lives, our families, and our communities.