LIRS Statement on 9th Circuit Injunction of Remain in Mexico Policy
For Immediate Release: February 28, 2020
Contact: Tim Young | tyoung@lirs.org | 443-257-6310
Baltimore, MD – On Febraury 28th, 2020, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals granted a nationwide preliminary injunction against the Migrant Protection Protocols, also known as the Remain in Mexico policy.
The following is a statement from Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service:
“We welcome the Ninth Circuit Court’s decision to uphold the rule of law in blocking the immoral and dangerous Migrant Protection Protocols policy nationwide. This practice of forcing asylum seekers to remain in harm’s way does anything but protect migrants, cruelly subjecting them to the horrors of violence, murder, kidnappings, and sexual abuse.
This is a monumental victory for all those who stand for American values of welcome, and especially the 60,000 men, women, and vulnerable children who have been deprived of their legal right to seek the safety and dignity that the United States promises. This legal right is based on decades of domestic and international law, including the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Refugee Protocol.
We continue to stand in solidarity with all those needlessly harmed by this misguided and detrimental policy and all those who still believe America is a place of refuge for the world’s most vulnerable.”
Fantastic and long-awaited news. Don’t know how long this injunction will last, but at least some powerful people still stand for the rule of law and human decency towards all oppressed peoples.