More than 170 national, state, and local organizations have signed the below letter expressing our strong opposition to S.1473, introduced by Senators Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) and Thom Tillis (R-NC). Our organizations represent children’s advocates, health care providers, teachers, unions, parents, faith-based organizations, service providers, and immigrant and refugee advocates who understand how harmful this legislation would be for children and families seeking asylum.

The bill would harm children and families by creating a new detention and expulsion regime similar to the harmful Title 42 policy, narrowing humanitarian exceptions to the policy, and gutting our asylum system by denying a fair process to individuals who would otherwise have access to asylum. Many of the people arriving at our borders are children, families, and individuals seeking safety, and they all have a right to access asylum.

The letter is led by Children Thrive Action Network (CTAN), the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights, and First Focus on Children.