vadimivich
Well-known member
This is a very important piece of context that has been completely hijacked by the Stephen Miller's of the world. The United States is signatory to the 1951/67 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. Under this convention a refugee is defined as:
By Article 31 of the convention, countries who belong to the convention (the USA included) must not "impose penalties on refugees who entered illegally in search of asylum if they present themselves".
What the USA has done is try to make it extremely difficult to enter the USA to present yourself for asylum - barring entry at border entries (dating from the Clinton administration) and refusing to allow asylum seekers onto US soil where they can then apply for asylum (you cannot apply outside of the country). This has created a scenario where to apply for asylum you have to cross the border at non approved border crossing and then be arrested. You then present yourself for asylum and wait through the 6 months to years long process.
Painting these people who qualify for protected status as "illegal" is simply a way to dehumanize them so the Miller's of the world can get away with stuffing them into concentration camps. The idea being that if you know that you will spend months to years as an "illegal" in a cage with your children ripped away from you while waiting for your asylum case to work through the system, you will be less likely to apply for asylum in the first place. This is a gross manipulation of the system and pure and simple cruelty.
A person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.
By Article 31 of the convention, countries who belong to the convention (the USA included) must not "impose penalties on refugees who entered illegally in search of asylum if they present themselves".
What the USA has done is try to make it extremely difficult to enter the USA to present yourself for asylum - barring entry at border entries (dating from the Clinton administration) and refusing to allow asylum seekers onto US soil where they can then apply for asylum (you cannot apply outside of the country). This has created a scenario where to apply for asylum you have to cross the border at non approved border crossing and then be arrested. You then present yourself for asylum and wait through the 6 months to years long process.
Painting these people who qualify for protected status as "illegal" is simply a way to dehumanize them so the Miller's of the world can get away with stuffing them into concentration camps. The idea being that if you know that you will spend months to years as an "illegal" in a cage with your children ripped away from you while waiting for your asylum case to work through the system, you will be less likely to apply for asylum in the first place. This is a gross manipulation of the system and pure and simple cruelty.