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July 17, 2019

Statement of ABA President Bob Carlson re: Changes to U.S. asylum law

The American Bar Association strongly opposes changes to United States asylum law that effectively eliminate asylum for most men, women and children fleeing persecution and violence in their home countries.

Rule changes by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Justice gut current asylum law. They override the clear intent of Congress as expressed in the Immigration and Nationality Act and abrogate our nation’s responsibility to protect asylum-seekers under international law.

The ABA calls on the administration to reverse its course and abandon these changes and to instead enforce laws that guarantee fair treatment and due process for asylum-seekers.

With more than 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is one of the largest voluntary professional membership organizations in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law. View our privacy statement online. Follow the latest ABA news at www.americanbar.org/news and on Twitter @ABANews.