In response to President Trump’s announcement of executive orders threatening mass deportations, reinstating the “Remain in Mexico” policy, and suspending refugee resettlement, Abby Maxman, Oxfam America’s President & CEO, said:
“The Trump administration’s executive orders today – launching mass deportations, reinstituting the ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy, ending refugee resettlement, and militarizing the border—will tear families apart, criminalize already-marginalized individuals, send asylum-seekers back into harm’s way, and directly benefit the criminal cartels that profiteer off of the vulnerability of asylum seekers at our southern border. The human and economic cost of these policies will be staggering.
“Economically, communities and businesses will be destabilized by large-scale deportations that strip American-owned businesses of both customers and workers –not to mention the massive cost to state and federal governments to carry out the raids and associated deportations. Many of the people targeted by these efforts have lived and worked in the U.S. for years, contributing to their communities and raising families. Such indiscriminate enforcement also raises the risk of legal residents being wrongfully detained or deported, furthering undermining justice and due process.
“These policies do nothing to address inequality or the drivers of migration, including declining democracies, closing civic space, weak economies, humanitarian crises, and climate displacement. They do, however, violate the U.S.’s obligations to uphold refugee rights and human rights under international law.
“Oxfam denounces the criminalization of migrants, the threats to asylum and refugees, and the militarization of the border. We will not be divided, and we will not let the progress toward a more equal future be reversed. We are committed to advocating for humane immigration policies that respect the equality, rights, and dignity of all individuals, and will continue working with immigrant rights groups to demand that the U.S. address the root causes of migration. Seeking asylum is not a crime—it is a human right, and we must act to protect it.”