A proposed Republican “border security” plan, now stalled in the U.S. House, is so extreme that even some members of the party, namely Miami-Dade’s Maria Elvira Salazar, have denounced it, saying it jeopardized the U.S. asylum laws and the very idea of this nation opening its arms to those escaping for humanitarian reason.
Currently, refugee status or asylum may be granted to people who have been persecuted or fear they will be persecuted on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion.
Thankfully, HR 29 will not be up for a vote anytime soon and back in committee. We credit the outspokenness and push back of some Republicans, including Salazar, whose district for decades has been an entry point for those escaping for a better life in America.
