Biden’s deadly politics: on the executive order restricting the right to seek asylum 

The executive order President Biden announced last week – which effectively closes the U.S.-Mexico border and suspends the right to seek asylum – is both illegal and immoral. It will inflict suffering on people who have already suffered greatly. It will get people killed.

Biden’s policy resembles Trump’s transit ban, which the courts struck down. Federal and international law guarantee the right to seek asylum regardless of how and where one enters the country. 

The executive order shuts down the border when “unauthorized crossings” exceeds 2,500 per day. The number is above that now, so the policy goes into effect immediately, essentially implementing a quota that recalls the infamously racist Immigration Act of 1924. 

Biden’s attacks on asylum seekers are all the more disgraceful because many are fleeing problems that the United States created. The executive order further punishes victims of U.S. imperialism. 

We stand in solidarity with migrants struggling to survive and grassroots organizations working on their behalf. As the cynicism and brutality of our politicians tempt us toward despair, their courage gives us hope. 

Read our full statement on our website. 

READ: “Guantánamo Bay Has Shattered the Illusion of a 'Fair' Justice System” 

We’re currently reading, Guantánamo Bay Has Shattered the Illusion of a 'Fair' Justice System. From the article:

In 2024, it’s easy to forget about Guantánamo Bay. That seems to be by design. Now the approach to Gitmo is less about rebranding and more about avoiding any discussion of it at all. As The Intercept reported last year, visits by journalists to the prison camp are subject to more severe censorship than ever. And in recent years, media interest has fallen to an all-time low.

That lack of attention makes it easy to forget that more than two decades after its establishment as a detention camp for suspects in the War on Terror, 30 men are still being held at Guantánamo without having ever been put on trial. 

The article cites our report, Profiles: Faces of Guantánamo, which shares the stories of a handful of those men. Over half of the current population has been cleared for release including our clients, Guled Duran and Sharqawi Al Hajj.

We continue our work for the complete closure of the Guantánamo Bay prison.

Read the full piece on the Current Affairs website and learn more about our work on our Guantánamo issue page.

Double your impact! Donations matched throughout the month of June 

We are excited to announce that all gifts made in June will be matched, up to $40,000, by a generous donor! 

Because of your support, we partner with organizers leading some of the most important struggles for human rights and toward liberation. We need your financial backing to keep those critical fights going. And thanks to a generous matching donor, you can increase your impact for social justice.

Now is the best time to donate, make your gift today!