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UNHCR Grandi Reax on US - 10 June 2024
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2:56
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MP4
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176.9 MB
This is an excerpt from a press conference by UN High Commissioner Filippo Grandi on UNHCR's Annual Report "Global Trends in Forced Displacement 2024".
The remainder of this press conference is under embargo until 13 June 2024 05:01 CEST.
Teleprompter
Thanks, Shavia.
Lisa Schlein, Voice for America Commissioner, you were talking about the issue of asylum in the European Union.
I'd like to have your comment on the new Biden policy regarding immigration and tightening the the US borders against people who are fleeing from various countries.
And in specific, specifically what it does, is it it, it sort of reduces the number of people who are able to apply for asylum?
Is this in accordance with international refugee law?
I mean, if you, if you arbitrarily or maybe deliberately, whatever it is, decide that 2500 people can apply in one and that 2500 and one person, the first person cannot apply.
Is this all right?
Yeah, Actually you, you must have seen our press release the last week.
I, I happened to be in Washington on that day myself.
So we, we worked on that and put it out and we said we, we answered exactly your question.
Yeah, of course this by the way, just for everybody's clarity, this applies to people that cross the non official border crossing, not the official border crossing.
Those do not have limits but or have other criteria.
But for the non official you have a kind of cap.
Now, I don't know exactly how they call it, but it's a kind of cap.
And of course, we would say that if, when, if, when that is applied, it will prevent some people that have the right to seek asylum from doing so.
So in that sense, it is at variance with refugee law.
I just want to say, and not to try to make this less serious, because it is very serious.
I just want to say, remember that.
Meanwhile, lots of other people can have access to the territory in the United States, those crossing through the approved points, those coming from through resettlement, very **** figure their target this year is 125,000.
Those coming through the safe mobility offices and different parole arrangements, We're talking about hundreds of thousands of people.
So the US continues to be a generous country in terms of receiving people.
But of course, because it has a phenomenal challenge along the border, they have now taken measures some of which we believe go beyond what we would accept as in line with the law.
OK.
Any other?