In Speech Tonight, Trump Won’t Talk About the Real Crisis – Asylum Seekers Being Denied Rights Under U.S. Law
Statement by Mary Bauer, Deputy Legal Director, Southern Poverty Law Center
We expect President Trump’s speech tonight to be filled with more falsehoods demonizing migrants who are seeking refuge. But the real national emergency is that this administration has manufactured a humanitarian crisis at our nation’s Southern border. This crisis is a direct result of the president’s relentless war on asylum seekers and his refusal to comply with the law. Despite repeated rebukes by courts across the country, the administration continues to double down on its illegal and inhumane policies.
People seeking asylum are like Carolina Doe, a mother of three and a citizen of Mexico. Her brother-in-law was kidnapped and dismembered by members of a drug cartel in Mexico, and her family was targeted and threatened with death. Carolina presented herself and her children at the San Ysidro point of entry where U.S. Customs Border Control coerced her into recanting her fear and signing a form withdrawing her application for admission to the United States.
We will continue to fight for Carolina and all others seeking safety in every way we can.
