WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) today issued the following joint statement in response to the Biden administration rolling out its proposed asylum transit ban rule:

“Last month, when the Biden Administration announced it would soon be issuing a proposed rule, which in effect would function as a ‘transit ban’ on asylum seekers who don’t first apply for asylum in a transit country, we urged the Administration to abandon this idea. At the same time, we reaffirmed our commitment to working with President Biden and his Administration to develop a comprehensive plan to address the root causes of migration, and overcome Republican obstruction to updating our immigration system, in order to implement a more orderly asylum system and humanely remove individuals with no legal basis to stay in the United States.

“We are deeply disappointed that the Administration has chosen to move forward with publishing this proposed rule, which only perpetuates the harmful myth that asylum seekers are a threat to this nation. In reality, they are pursuing a legal pathway in the United States. We have an obligation to protect vulnerable migrants under domestic and international law and should not leave vulnerable migrants stranded in countries unable to protect them. We urge President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas to reverse course and pave a better path forward that protects the right to asylum while addressing the real operational challenges at our Southern Border.”

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