To the Editor:

Re “Trump Moves to Block Another Road to Asylum” (front page, July 16):

An unprecedented new rule instituted by the Trump administration shuts the door (with limited exceptions) on immigrant families and unaccompanied children who are seeking safety, including survivors of gender-based violence.” This rejection of asylum seekers who approach our southern border is not only bad policy; it also represents a shameful new low for an administration rapidly rolling back legal protections for asylum seekers.

This past weekend, vulnerable immigrant communities prepared for mass arrests, separation from their families, forced detention in overcrowded warehouses and deportation. The threatened use of these tactics, coupled with racist rhetoric, has made immigrants, particularly survivors of domestic violence, fearful of approaching law enforcement for help.

The administration has thumbed its nose at American obligations under international law to uphold the Refugee Convention. We cannot continue to send asylum seekers back into harm or danger after they’ve endured a perilous journey that few of us can even imagine.