Opinion: CT should stop the Grinch from stealing asylum

The concept of asylum is found in numerous sacred texts and appears in nearly all of the world’s major religions. It is also a bedrock principle of our country and international law. More than 40 years ago, Congress passed the Refugee Act of 1980 on a bipartisan basis by overwhelming margins. This act was based on the 1967 U.N. Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees. The landmark law established, among other things, a framework to extend asylum to those fleeing persecution based on their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. It was a significant humanitarian achievement in our nation’s history, motivated in part by the tragedies that occurred when the United States turned away those fleeing the Holocaust.