House Democrats that were incensed over Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids against illegal immigrants are offering tepid praise for an expansion of the government’s refugee resettlement program to include three Central American countries.
The Obama administration on Wednesday announced that it is broadening its refugee program to allow “vulnerable families and individuals from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras” to apply for refugee status and seek asylum in the United States, just as people fleeing conflicts in other countries can do. The move is aimed at reducing the number of illegal immigrants from these countries, in the wake of a new surge of immigrants trying to cross the southwestern U.S. border.
The policy shift would apply only to potential immigrants before they come to the United States, not immigrants who are already here and subject to the ICE raids. It also would do nothing for immigrants from Central America that have already been deported.
“The administration’s recently announced recognition that many Central Americans qualify as refugees under international law is an important and constructive step towards a comprehensive regional refugee solution to address violence in the Central American region,” California Reps. Zoe Lofgren and Lucille Roybal-Allard and Illinois Rep. Luis Gutierrez said in a statement Thursday.
The Democrats said they are “cautiously optimistic” that the use of “third-country temporary processing centers will provide protection for those who are unable to remain in their home country during the refugee processing period.”
Still, they said, the administration’s policy shift should not be used as a justification to deny or deter refugees from seeking asylum protection under U.S. immigration laws, and noted it does nothing to prevent ICE from continuing its raids.
On Tuesday, 146 House Democrats signed a letter urging Obama to immediately suspend deportation raids targeting mothers and children from Central America.
“We are concerned that many of these families did not receive adequate due process and some may have already been deported to countries where they will face persecution, torture or death,” the Democrats said. “We do not believe that these deportation and deterrent tactics will dissuade desperate mothers and children from fleeing for their lives.”
“The U.S. must continue to be a beacon of safety and refuge for those seeking protection from persecution,” they continued. “This new Central American refugee program should be an expansion of our efforts to provide refuge — not a substitute for our existing asylum process.”
