Official Statement on U.S. Executive Orders on Immigration

Their Story Is Our Story mourns with those immediately impacted by the executive orders signed by President Trump upon his inauguration. These executive orders effectively destroy all legal pathways for people fleeing persecution and torture to seek safety in the United States. They end important protections for vulnerable populations, violate international laws and disregard longstanding U.S. law, and will put untold numbers of women, children, and families in serious danger. Among other things, the executive orders:

• End a successful program that permitted individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to pursue immigration cases with support from private U.S. sponsors and communities.
• Suspend all asylum processing at the southern border and end the CBP One appointment process that had allowed individuals to request appointments at ports of entry to present their asylum requests to U.S. border agents.
• Expand the Department of Homeland Security’s mandate and authority to detain individuals, including those seeking asylum, until their immigration cases have concluded, meaning individuals could be detained for years in centers well known for inhumane conditions and human rights abuses.
• Suspend participation in the U.N.‘s refugee admissions program, ending our promises to families, children, and individuals who had already been granted refugee status in the United States.

None of these policies will make our country safer, but will instead come with enormous costs both economically and morally. The announcement of these policies, that upend protections for people who have been pursuing their immigration cases in full compliance with U.S. laws, have already caused widespread terror within our communities. We are a nation of displaced people and we must stand together to protect the friends and neighbors in our midst.

See Executive Order “Securing Our Borders”

See Executive Order “Protecting the American People Against Invasion”

See Executive Order “Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program”