The president trying to shut down America’s asylum system is now demanding that another country

The president trying to shut down America’s asylum system is now demanding that another country grant asylum. The double standard could not be more glaring. ⚖️ A recent article in The New York Times explains that President Trump publicly called on Australia to grant asylum to Iran’s women’s soccer team after the players refused to sing the Iranian national anthem, a silent act of protest that put their lives in immediate danger. Trump urged the Australian prime minister on social media to take them in, saying the United States would accept them if Australia would not. Australia ultimately granted humanitarian visas to five of the players. 🌍 But here’s what makes this story impossible to ignore. This is the same president trying to shut down the U.S. asylum system. He suspended refugee admissions for virtually everyone and earlier this year deported roughly a dozen Iranians back to a government violently targeting its own protesters. He also cut a deal with Tehran to fly Iranian deportees home on chartered planes, people who could face persecution, imprisonment, or worse upon return. His administration has stripped temporary protections from people already living in this country who fled war, famine, and natural disasters. 📄 The message being sent is clear and troubling: some people fleeing persecution deserve protection while others do not. As one refugee advocate put it, “Humanitarian protection cannot be a photo op for the high-profile and a dead end for everyone else.” 💔 The Iranian soccer players deserve safety, and so does every asylum seeker sitting in detention, waiting in limbo, or living in fear right now.