January 12, 2018

President Trump’s vulgar and racist remarks about Haiti, El Salvador, and African countries during discussions with lawmakers yesterday are reflection of a White House bent on dehumanizing the migrant and refugee population. Such comments underscore a series of deeply troubling policy actions by the Trump administration in recent months to undermine protections for refugees, migrants, and vulnerable populations, including: this week’s announcement by the Department of Homeland Security to end the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for about 200.000 Salvadorans who have lived in the country for more than a decade; derailing other programs such as the Central American Minors program, which allows children from the Northern Triangle to join their parents in the US; threatening DACA, and; setting a record low ceiling for refugee resettlement.

Asylum Access, a family of national organizations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and headquartered in the US, denounces the President’s rhetoric. We stand with refugees and migrants in the US and worldwide, and reaffirm the inherent dignity and human rights of all people. Our daily work testifies to the resilience, ingenuity and valuable contributions made by refugees to society. We stay united in our mission to defend the right of refugees to rebuild their lives in their new home countries.