Asylum Officers’ Union Opposes Biden Border Restrictions

The union representing federal asylum officers sided late Monday with a court challenge to the Biden administration’s restrictions on asylum at the southern border, saying in a court filing that the policy unlawfully limits migrants’ protections.

The group, the National Citizenship and Immigration Services Council 119, filed a brief in support of the American Civil Liberties Union’s lawsuit seeking to block the policy in federal court in Washington. The group represents over 1,000 asylum and other humanitarian officers across the United States, some of whom are charged with carrying out the measure.

The union said in the filing that President Biden’s order is not “humane” and that “expanding lawful immigration pathways for some does not justify foreclosing lawful immigration pathways for others.”

The union added that the order “stands as a practical and symbolic contraction of the United States’ commitment to humanitarian legal obligations.”

The group has previously backed lawsuits against border restrictions under President Donald J. Trump and opposed a previous Biden administration effort to limit asylum access.

“Concern about the United States’ waning commitment to the rule of law with respect to refugee protection in recent years has spurred Council 119 to speak out against unlawful policies on behalf of the union members they represent,” the union said in its filing.