CHC Chairman Castro Condemns AG Barr’s Order to Jail Asylum-Seekers

SAN ANTONIO— Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, released the following statement on Attorney General William P. Barr's order denying asylum seekers the right be released on bond:

"Attorney General Barr's latest order to jail individuals seeking asylum in-between ports of entry, as permitted by international and U.S. law, is yet another attack on refugees that will grind our immigration system to a halt and further expand the mass incarceration of immigrants. Much like the Administration's family separation policy, this new order is inhumane, ineffective and will waste taxpayers funds by unnecessarily keeping asylum seekers behind bars for years at a time. Barr's order will only hurt the most vulnerable without doing anything to address the humanitarian issues at the border or migration push factors. We must challenge Barr's order in Congress and in the courts, and condemn this Administration's lack of respect for the dignity and humanity of migrants from Central America."

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The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), founded in December 1976, is organized as a Congressional Member organization, governed under the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives. The CHC is dedicated to voicing and advancing, through the legislative process, issues affecting Hispanics in the United States, Puerto Rico and U.S. Territories.