Rep. Omar on President Biden’s Immigration Executive Order 

WASHINGTON—Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) released the following statement on President Biden’s new immigration executive order that would drastically limit asylum by reducing the number of people who can legally seek asylum in our country.

“I am deeply disappointed that President Biden issued this cruel executive order. Today, President Biden has signaled to the world that we will turn our back on those suffering from global catastrophe to appease the far-right who will never be satisfied. The right to seek asylum is a fundamental human right, a right enshrined in U.S. and international law. If we are serious about addressing the border crisis, the way to do that is to create more and quicker legal pathways, not to gut asylum laws. We have a moral obligation to establish a just immigration system that welcomes and protects all human beings, not stop the asylum process. This executive order flies in the face of basic morality and will be one of the most restrictive border policies in modern history. Just as we condemned Donald Trump for his disastrous immigration policies, we must call out this egregious xenophobic order. As a refugee in this country, I know what this executive order means for so many innocent people hoping for a better life. I hope President Biden reverses course.”