2024-02-04 06:41:29 -0500
To: The Massachusetts State House, The Massachusetts State Senate, Governor Charlie Baker, The United States House of Representatives, The United States Senate, and President Donald Trump
Asylum Seekers are not Criminals
The Government of the United States is a signatory to the 1948 landmark treaty, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that specified clearly in Article 14 that everyone has the right to seek asylum.
The United States is also a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention that prohibits countries from imposing penalties on those entering a country directly from a territory where their lives or freedom are threatened. Therefore, asylum seekers should never be detained, as they have not committed any unlawful acts. Seeking asylum is not a crime. But, it is the responsibility of a sovereign nation to establish orderly and humane systems for receiving asylum seekers and to never separate nuclear families. If necessary, keep acquaintances and friends together because it will help their adjustment. It is, therefore, important that the Government of the United States does not refer to asylum seekers as detainees. It is in the best interest of the country that the application processes are expedited.
Acronyms such as DACA and DAPA and references to asylum seekers as undocumented people are meaningless, dehumanizing and unnecessary. Once one enters a sovereign nation one is documented. Those who are present inside the fifty states and US territories, for all practical purposes, were documented as soon as they crossed the borders, regardless of where and how. If they are not documented, it is not their fault. It is the responsibility of the Government to document everyone.
The truth is that when asylees choose to come to the United States over passing other countries, it shows resilience and determinations. It also says a lot about our country, its values, as well as the freedom and opportunities it offers. We should be proud of our country, welcome asylees and help them adjust but never place them in detentions.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 14: Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution. This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
The United States is also a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention that prohibits countries from imposing penalties on those entering a country directly from a territory where their lives or freedom are threatened. Therefore, asylum seekers should never be detained, as they have not committed any unlawful acts. Seeking asylum is not a crime. But, it is the responsibility of a sovereign nation to establish orderly and humane systems for receiving asylum seekers and to never separate nuclear families. If necessary, keep acquaintances and friends together because it will help their adjustment. It is, therefore, important that the Government of the United States does not refer to asylum seekers as detainees. It is in the best interest of the country that the application processes are expedited.
Acronyms such as DACA and DAPA and references to asylum seekers as undocumented people are meaningless, dehumanizing and unnecessary. Once one enters a sovereign nation one is documented. Those who are present inside the fifty states and US territories, for all practical purposes, were documented as soon as they crossed the borders, regardless of where and how. If they are not documented, it is not their fault. It is the responsibility of the Government to document everyone.
The truth is that when asylees choose to come to the United States over passing other countries, it shows resilience and determinations. It also says a lot about our country, its values, as well as the freedom and opportunities it offers. We should be proud of our country, welcome asylees and help them adjust but never place them in detentions.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 14: Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution. This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Why is this important?
According to the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 14, Asylum Seekers are not criminals. They have rights and we should accord them protections.