From Dr. Jill Stein's presidential campaign:
“No one puts their children in a boat, unless the water is safer than the land.” -- Warsan Shire, "Home"
Last week Joe Biden issued a new executive order on immigration that is immoral on its face and an affront to basic human rights.
It’s also a grave political miscalculation.
Team Biden has wagered that by adopting Donald Trump’s immigration policies, he can deflect criticism from Republicans on his handling of the border crisis – and potentially earn some of their votes.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
An Oxford University study published earlier this year revealed that, time and again, when liberal and left institutions adopt right-wing policies to try and appeal to the mythical “swing voter,” they lose. Worse, they lose to the most reactionary elements in right-wing politics.
Biden’s new executive order makes it MORE likely that conservative voters will back Trump in November. It’s akin to walking us off a cliff into American fascism.
We will all pay the price for Biden’s gamble on our democracy, but the people who will be directly and immediately impacted are the thousands of families with young children seeking asylum, safety, freedom, and opportunity in our country.
The New York Times reported that 40% of all migrants crossing the border today are parents and their children.
These are people who have tried to assert their legal right to asylum by following the process, seeking an appointment for a hearing of their claim. But as Democrats and Republicans in Congress have colluded to deprive the immigration courts of the funding they need to process those claims, they’re often waiting 10 months or more just to get an appointment.
The lucky ones get a space in one of the handful of migrant centers operated by nonprofits on the Mexican side of the border. The rest are left to live on the street where they are targeted by cartels for extortion, exploitation, or worse. No shock, then, that many choose to risk crossing the border on foot.
Biden’s solution to this self-made crisis is not to direct more resources to process asylum claims faster, but to send these families right back into the mouth of the shark – deporting them within days instead of hearing their asylum claims.
These families are fleeing political persecution, cartel violence, and economic devastation that is largely the product of American policy.
When I am elected, we will address both the immediate material needs of asylum seekers and the root causes driving migration.
We will completely overhaul the broken and abusive immigration system and honor our obligation to asylum seekers, welcoming immigrants of all types into our country to enrich our communities and the tapestry of American life.
We will create a timely, ethical, transparent, and dignified path to citizenship for immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees.
You can read my full immigration policy at jillstein2024.com/platform.
And you can help make this a reality by supporting our campaign for people, planet, and peace. Your contributions will help ensure that every American can vote for the only pro-worker, pro-peace, and pro-planet campaign that will be on the ballot across the country this November.
Seeking asylum is a basic human right. It’s also a legal right under U.S. federal law. It is our duty to offer safe harbor to people escaping violence that we brought to their shores.
When I am president, we will.
In solidarity and gratitude,
Jill
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