WASHINGTON – FWD.us Vice President for Immigration Policy and Campaigns Andrea Flores released the following statement in reaction to reports that policymakers are considering policy reforms that could erode our nation’s asylum system:

"Our nation is at its best when we provide refuge and hope for those in need of protection. There are several pragmatic and positive steps the Biden administration can take right now to relieve pressure at the border that don’t require legislating away our nation's promised commitment to asylum. Any proposal that attempts to solve the challenges around forced migration by simply making it more difficult to apply for asylum will fail to reduce the chaos we have seen at the border for the past ten years.”

"Restricting asylum is wrong, contradicts our values, and has been proven to worsen the operational challenges at the border and in our cities. Policymakers need to use this moment to reject misguided attacks on our asylum system and embrace evidence-based policies that expand access to legal pathways, direct migration toward safe and orderly channels, and support border communities and receiving cities across the country."

See below for more information from FWD.us’s research and policy briefs that show how to build legal pathways that reduce pressure at the border and create a more secure and orderly process:

Addressing the Challenges of Forced Migration at the Border and in our Communities
A New Pathway Forward for the United States: Why Building Working Legal Pathways Is the Best Policy and Politics Approach to Forced Migration – And Upholds The Best of America’s Promise