Following reports that the Biden Administration will now require asylum seekers to first apply for asylum in a transit country instead of allowing them to seek their legal right to asylum at our southern border, Representative Lou Correa (CA-46), Ranking Member of the Border Security Subcommittee, released the following statement:

“Our nation’s courts rightly rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to categorically end asylum when he required asylum seekers to seek asylum in transit countries, and the Biden Administration’s attempt to continue this unfair and restrictive policy is disappointing,” said Ranking Member Correa. “This action will bar deserving asylum seekers arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border from claiming asylum if they pass through another country en route to the United States without seeking protection. This rule will give those seeking refuge the presumption of ineligibility to seek safe haven in the United States—and it is unconscionable, unacceptable, and un-American.” 

“I encourage the Administration to work with Congress to ensure they develop safe, humane, and orderly border policies that enforce our immigration laws and uphold the right to asylum under domestic and international law,” Correa concluded.

This statement follows a letter sent to the Administration last month, co-signed by Ranking Member Correa, urging President Joe Biden to reverse his Administration’s expansion of the failed border policy known as Title 42 and abandon the proposed asylum “transit ban” rule.”

While this proposed rule will still allow people who transit to third countries to apply for asylum at Points of Entry (POEs) via the CBP One app, there have been well-reported challenges with the number of appointments available, language accessibility, photo recognition, and technical glitches.

### ABOUT LOU: Congressman Lou Correa is a longtime Orange County resident with deep local roots. To this day, he lives only three miles from his childhood neighborhood in Anaheim. He is the son of working-class parents whose hard work gave him a chance at success and who has spent his career fighting to protect the American Dream and ensure anyone can reach the middle class, just as he did. In 2016, Lou was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives to continue his work by representing the community he has spent the past 20 years serving, fighting to give everyone the same opportunity he had. Congressman Correa is committed to working across party lines to strengthen the middle class and give everyone a shot at the American Dream by investing in education, healthcare, and our fading infrastructure. In addition, he has introduced legislation to protect the legal rights of immigrants, care for veterans, and fight against the wasteful spending of taxpayer money.