Bethany Christian Services Urges Administration to Reconsider Asylum Proposal

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Bethany Christian Services released the following statement urging the Biden administration to reconsider the proposal to restrict eligibility for asylum for those who have passed through other countries, including countries without a demonstrated ability to ensure adequate protection from violence or to adjudicate large numbers of asylum requests, en route to the United States.

"At Bethany, we are compelled by our faith to love our neighbors and believe that every person is made in the image of God with inherent dignity. This proposed rule would undermine our country’s core values and violate U.S. law and treaty obligations to provide due process for those who profess a credible fear of persecution. We strongly opposed this harmful rule when it was first introduced by the previous administration and we urge the Biden administration to reconsider its implementation as it will cause irreparable harm to men, women, and children seeking safety in the United States,” said Dr. Tawnya Brown, Senior Vice President of Global, Refugee, and Immigrant Services at Bethany Christian Services.

Asylum seekers who enter the United States between ports of entry or who present themselves at a port of entry without a previously-scheduled appointment will be presumed to be ineligible for asylum and will be blocked access to asylum hearings rapidly deported through expedited removal. The previous administration implemented similar significant asylum restrictions, and multiple courts deemed those restrictions illegal.