On May 11, 2023, Upwardly Global President and CEO Jina Krause-Vilmar spoke with ABC News about the end of Title 42 and the “profound increase” of asylum seekers in the D.C. area who are looking for help finding jobs.
“We’re seeing people just show up to our doors and asking for help because there is such a lack of coordination around services,” she said.
With the influx of migrants at the southern border, immigration experts expect an even greater strain on the immigration system.
“I think because there is so much confusion around who is allowed in and who is not allowed in — you will have a huge flood of people standing in those lines for weeks,” she said. This confusion will eventually lead to an even longer process for migrants in greater Washington, D.C., who are here seeking asylum.
“Spoiler alert: We knew Title 42 was going to phase out,” Krause-Vilmar said. “So we had time to prepare for this and I think we are only seeing now what that preparation looks like.” She hopes cities, including D.C., are given the tools and structure to help as many people as they can. “We shouldn’t be having the conversation of should people be seeking asylum,” she said. “The challenge we should be looking at is how do we ensure this asylum system is set up so that it can process the needs and capacity that we are seeing.”