UNHCR condemns domestic policy of Biden administration regarding asylum seekers

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has condemned the newest Title 42 policy created by the US government to expel non-Mexican asylum seekers and migrants to the southern region of Mexico based on the public health emergency related to the COVID-19. The UN agency stated that this practice endangers the lives of millions of people by sending them back to their original or third countries, constituting a clear violation of the principle of non-refoulement of the 1951 Refugee Convention that has been ratified by the USA. Matthew Reynolds, the UNHCR representative to the US and the Caribbean, alerted for the risk provoked by internal policies, such as this one, once that they encourage other countries to adhere to collective expulsions of asylum seekers and migrants further endangering vulnerable people – in contravention of international law and the humanitarian principles of the 1951 Refugee Convention. He also added that the Title 42 policy will exhaust the humanitarian capacity of the southern states of Mexico to deal with the migration flux that comes from other countries of Latin America. Furthermore, he has reminded that sending flights full of people to Mexico not only heightens the risk of transmission of COVID-19 across borders but also weakens the common sense of responsibility of all the Governments of the region to address the root causes of forced displacement and migration. Lastly, the UNHCR official reminded that since the start of the pandemic, the UN agency has maintained that protecting public health and ensuring access to asylum, are fully compatible.  For further information, please visit: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/08/1097612