SACRAMENTO – California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine today led a coalition of 19 attorneys general in an amicus brief supporting the plaintiffs in U.T. v. Barr, who are challenging the Trump Administration’s actions to undermine asylum protections. Under an interim final rule, the Trump Administration is effectively ignoring asylum claims by sending people, many of whom are fleeing violence and persecution, to third countries that have signed asylum cooperative agreements with the federal government. In addition to harming asylum-seekers, the rule deprives states of the valuable economic contributions made by immigrants, including asylees and asylum-seekers, who join workforces across the country, start entrepreneurial ventures, and pay millions of dollars in taxes each year.
“The Trump Administration has launched its latest reckless policy that endangers the lives of asylum-seekers,” said Attorney General Becerra. “Hard-working immigrants, certainly those grateful for being liberated from death or persecution, have helped build America as they have sought a better life. We will continue to stand up to the Trump Administration’s callous campaign to undermine humanitarian protections and the rule of law.”
In the amicus brief filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the coalition highlights the irreparable harms the rule will have on states and asylum-seekers. In particular, the rule threatens the states’ economies, undermines state-funded legal service programs, and contravenes the states’ interests in keeping families together. Collectively, the coalition welcomes thousands of asylum-seekers each year. The rule directly threatens asylum-seekers by forcing them into dangerous circumstances in third countries that are not equipped to handle their claims. Guatemala, currently the only country where an asylum cooperative agreement is officially in effect, has insufficient staff to handle humanitarian claims. There are only 12 officials working on asylum cases in the entire country, and only three of them are tasked with interviewing applicants.
Attorney General Becerra remains committed to fighting for the rights of hard-working immigrants in California and across the country. Last year, Attorney General Becerra led a multistate comment letter condemning the interim final rule on asylum cooperative agreements. Attorney General Becerra also filed a lawsuit in opposition to a rule circumventing protections for children under the Flores Settlement Agreement, which was permanently blocked by a federal court in September of 2019. The Attorney General is also leading the fight to protect Dreamers before the U.S. Supreme Court. Earlier this year, the Attorney General blasted the Trump Administration for moving the goalpost on asylum eligibility and fought back against a proposal that would prevent asylum-seekers and their families from becoming self-sufficient while awaiting adjudication of their cases.
In submitting the amicus brief, Attorney General Becerra is joined by the attorneys general of the District of Columbia, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.
A copy of the amicus brief is available here.
