The U.S. government has taken a humane turn in its immigration policy this year, but the situation for refugees seeking asylum in the United States remains dire, participants in a webinar about immigration reported.

“Take Action for Immigrant Justice in 2021,” sponsored by the Interfaith Immigration Coalition, outlines changes in U.S. immigration policy either implemented or promised by the Biden-Harris administration. 

The new administration’s stance on immigration is “welcoming rather than criminalizing and dehumanizing,” noted Viviana Westbrook, an attorney with the Catholic Legal Immigration Network and one of the webinar presenters. She called the administration’s initiatives “healing” and noted they mark a “move away from xenophobic rhetoric.”

In the earliest days of his administration, President Biden has taken multiple humanitarian steps toward immigrants, Westbrook said. She pointed to actions intended to reunite separated families, expedite U.S.-asylum applications, discontinue construction of the border wall, restore protections to undocumented immigrants brought into the country as children, and other steps. 

One of the most heinous U.S. policies has been the Migrant Protection Protocols, also known as Remain in Mexico, noted panelist Elket Rodríguez, immigrant and refugee advocacy and missions specialist for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and Fellowship Southwest. 

“I have witnessed firsthand the human tragedy of the Remain in Mexico policy,” Rodríguez said. “The stories of raped women, murdered men, exploited fathers, heartbroken mothers and separated families are common among asylum seekers stranded in the border towns of northern Mexico.” Fellowship Southwest sponsors a network of pastors who minister to refugees along the length of the border, and Rodríguez supports them. 

The Interfaith Immigration Coalition’s webinar provides a valuable resource for understanding U.S. immigration policy changes, how those changes affect the border, and how to advocate for immigrants’ and refugees’ rights from a faith perspective, he said. 

“The webinar is a great starting point for anyone who wants to know how the recent shifts in immigration policy approach are affecting directly impacted immigrants and refugees in our communities,” Rodríguez added. “The main goal is to answer the following questions to people of faith: where we are, what to expect in the upcoming months and how to take action.” 

To watch the webinar, click here.

The IIC is composed of more than 50 national, faith-based organizations committed to seeking just policies that lift the God-given dignity of every individual. CBF is an active member of the IIC and has sponsored the organization’s transition report for the new administration. 

Two weeks ago, CBF supported an IIC initiative asking President Biden to end the Migrant Protection Protocols.