Title 42, a Trump-era policy that restricted access to asylum for countless people fleeing danger, officially ended at midnight on May 11 2023. In its place, however, is a new asylum ban from the Biden administration that again severely restricts the ability of people to seek asylum. 

People who come to the border have left their home in search of safety, escaping conflict, violence and persecution. They have also been forced to take long and dangerous journeys to get there. But these policies will rob many asylum seekers of a fair chance to present their cases and leave them effectively stranded in northern Mexico, exposed to more dangers and without adequate food or housing.

The United States has a long, proud tradition of giving families fleeing conflict and persecution a chance to rebuild their lives in safety. Read below to find out all the ways you can join the IRC to provide critical support for refugees right now.

Ashley and mother Maria face the camera
Ashley, 9, makes bracelets with her mother, Maria*, 37, from Honduras, at a migrant shelter in Juárez, Mexico. Maria and her family were in Juárez for five months, after travelling to the border from their home country because they couldn’t pay extortion fees from local gangs. At the shelter, Maria participated in a women’s group, supported by the IRC and funded by the European Union, which provides activities and psychological support.
Photo: Paul Ratje for the IRC

Take action

Seeking asylum is legal. No one should be penalized, returned to harm or separated from their children for exercising this right. Write to the White House today to ask the Biden Administration to rescind the asylum ban and uphold its legal obligations to welcome and protect asylum seekers. 

Donate to the IRC 

Make a donation to ensure that IRC can continue to provide critical support to asylum seekers on both sides of the U.S. southern border. That includes providing transitional shelter, humanitarian assistance, medical care, legal orientation and travel coordination to more than 50,000 asylum seekers released from U.S. government detention in 2022 alone. In Latin America, the IRC supports vulnerable people in northern Central America and along the main migration corridors in Mexico, from the southern to the northern borders.

IRC teams on the ground in Ciudad Juárez, at the US-Mexico border.
IRC teams are on the ground in Ciudad Juárez, at the US-Mexico border, monitoring the evolution of the situation and providing hydration and support to asylum seekers who have waited in line for hours—and some even for days—as they face rising temperatures.
Photo: Everardo Esquivel for the IRC

Buy from an IRC’s offices Amazon wishlist 

The IRC in Arizona's Phoenix Welcome Center, for instance, helps parents and children seeking refuge in the United States to find safety and stability as they await their asylum hearings. Find out more here.

Spread the word 

Show your support for asylum seekers by sharing this post on Instagram,  Facebook or on Twitter. You can also get the facts on asylum in the U.S. and share with your friends and family.

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Learn about solutions

“The evidence from around the world is that cruelty is not the route to order. In fact some of the most cruel solutions produce disorder and empower people smugglers,” said David Miliband, IRC President and CEO. “By contrast, there are policies which are both humane in treating refugees with dignity, and orderly in the way they promote effective management of migration.”

The U.S. must invest in more humane, sustainable systems at the border. Grounded in our international experience, the IRC suggests five priorities to bring humanity, predictability and fairness to the system. Learn more about the situation and our proposals.