Press Releases
Congresswoman Escobar Leads Letter Urging Secretary Blinken to Take All Necessary Steps to Establish In-country Processing Programs
Washington, D.C.,
March 22, 2022
Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16), a member of the Immigration and Citizenship Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee, led a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging the Department of State to work with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to establish in-country asylum processing programs for those seeking asylum in the U.S. from Central America.
Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16), a member of the Immigration and Citizenship Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee, led a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging the Department of State to work with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to establish in-country asylum processing programs for those seeking asylum in the U.S. from Central America, particularly from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, also known as Northern Triangle. The United States has in the past established in-country processing programs as a response to large surges of migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Vietnam, and Iraq. The letter, which was co-signed by 21 U.S. Representatives, comes as migration to the United States from Central American countries continues the exponential increase it started in the mid-2010s. “In-country asylum processing programs can humanely deter irregular migration to the United States that so often puts people at risk of harm or death,” the lawmakers wrote.“That is why we urge the U.S. Department of State to work with leaders at the Department of Homeland Security and at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to establish robust in-country processing programs across the Northern Triangle. The lawmakers added, “Requiring people, often with limited resources, to abandon their homes and undertake a dangerous journey just for the opportunity to apply for asylum in the United States is senseless and irresponsible. Despite having the tools and resources necessary to set up in-country processing programs in Central America, the U.S. is needlessly endangering people who want a better life for themselves and their families. We cannot wait for the situation in Central America to further deteriorate before seriously considering in-country processing programs. We can and must do better by our southern neighbors.” The letter was also co-signed by U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (VA-08), Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), Tony Cardenas (CA-29), Judy Chu (CA-27), Jim Costa (CA-16), Madeleine Dean (PA-04), Val Demings (FL-10), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Al Green (TX-09), Raúl Grijalva (AZ-03), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Sara Jacobs (CA-53), Teresa Leger Fernandez (NM-3), Jim McGovern (MA-02), Marie Newman (IL-03), Albio Sires (NJ-8), Elissa Slotkin (MI-08), Dina Titus (NV-01), Norma Torres (CA-35), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12). Full text of the letter can be found here.
|