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Migrant Justice Newsletter JUN 2024

The Refugee Convention of 1951 is a UN multilateral treaty that defines refugee and sets out responsibilities for nations to grant asylum for those seeking refuge within its borders. The Refugee Convention emerged after World War II when nations pledged never to repeat that era’s tragic turn-backs of people fleeing extermination. A 1967 Protocol to the Convention expanded the original protections intended for European refugees to refugees "without any geographic limitation." When the US ratified the Protocol in 1968, it undertook a majority of the obligations spelled out in the original 1951 document (Articles 2-34). To make US laws consistent with the 1951 Convention and the 1968 Protocol, the US Congress and Carter Administration passed the  US Refugee Act of 1980. The Act changed the definition of “refugee” to a person with a “well-founded fear of persecution” according to standards established by United Nations conventions and protocols. This new federal law was meant to protect people who are fleeing persecution on “account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.” The Refugee Act is meant to ensure that individuals who seek asylum from within the US or at its border are not sent back to places where they face persecution.

On June 4, the Biden-Harris Administration announced new plans to “secure our border.” It bars migrants from even asking for asylum when daily average apprehensions surpass a certain threshold—and that threshold has been defined well below the average daily numbers. This is a clear violation of international and domestic law. According to US law, a migrant can ask for asylum ANYWHERE within the territorial limits of the US. Forcing migrants to wait in Mexico (where they face many humanitarian hardships and dangers) and apply for an appointment via a cell phone app is an undue restriction on their legal right to ask for asylum.

Creating more deterrents like this one might knock down the numbers for a few weeks, but migration will likely surge in a month or so. Deterrence does not work. The US must instead address the reasons why people migrate and the current shortcomings and lack of resources in the US immigration system.

In IRTF’s June 2024 newsletter on Migrant Justice, please read about (1)  President Biden Announces New Actions to Secure the Border; Critics point to its illegality, (2)  ICE Air: Update on Removal Flight Trends, (3) Child Migration in Darien Gap, (4) At the Border: Recent Incidents at and around the US-Mexico Border, (5) Mind the Darién Gap, Migration Bottleneck of the Americas, (6)  Immigration Court: unjust denials call for structural realignment, not further restrictions, and (7) Immigration is the demographic savior too many refuse to acknowledge. Then take a few minutes to read what you can do to take action this week in solidarity with migrants and their families. (See details at the bottom of this newsletter.)

A) Support LGBTQ+ Migrants

B) Oppose Border Closures

C) Support Migrants in Detention

D) Root Causes: Cut US Militarism in Latin America

Migrant Justice Newsletter - MAY 2024

News articles in this month’s Migrant Justice Update:

(1) See Us. Here Us. #ReuniteUS. (2) ICE Air: Update on Removal Flight Trends. (3) Migration Declining. (4)  At the Border: Recent Incidents at and around the US-Mexico Border. (5) Guatemalan Youth Defy Tragedy, Continue Trek to US Despite Familial Losses.  (6) Kidnapping of Migrants and Asylum Seekers at the Texas-Tamaulipas Border Reaches Intolerable Levels.  (7) President-elect of Panama pledges to close the Darién Gap.  (8) Trans & Nonbinary Migrants File Complaint Over Treatment at ICE Detention Facility in Colorado

TAKE ACTION items:

(A) Migrant Families in Cleveland Need Household Items. (B) Root Causes: Cut US Militarism in Latin America. (C) Root Causes: Stop Deportation Flights to Haiti. (D) Root Causes: Redesignate TPS for Nicaraguans. (E) Support Migrants in Detention.

Immigration enforcement continues to be top of mind for many in the US electorate. We’re likely to see the two presidential candidates duke it out on who pledges to be tougher on immigration. With changes in presidential administrations in two of the countries that the US sees as crucial partners in stemming migration (Panama and Mexico), it’ll be interesting to see how things unfold over the next several months leading up to the US elections on November 5.

Migrant Justice Newsletter - April 2024

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MIGRANT JUSTICE NEWSLETTER – APR 2024

Welcome to IRTF’s March 2024 newsletter on Migrant Justice and the current situation at the US-Mexico border. After you’ve looked through the articles, we hope you can take a few minutes to see the TAKE ACTION items at the bottom.

 

In this newsletter, please read about 

1.  Changing Trends in Migrants at US-Mexico Border

2. ICE Air: Update on Removal Flight Trends 

3. Study Reveals: Border Wall Height Exacerbates Trauma Incidents 

4. At the Border: Recent Incidents at and around the US-Mexico Border 

5. Border Patrol and Local Law Enforcement’s Patterns of Abuse in Ohio’s Immigration Enforcement

6. Raising the Credible Fear Screening Standard Will Endanger Lives but Won’t Fix The Border  

7. Children in US-Mexico Border Camps

8. Migrants Mired in Transit as Mexico Becomes US’s Immigration Enforcer

9. Kidnapping of Migrants and Asylum Seekers at Texas-Tamaulipas Border Reaches Intolerable Levels 

10.  Migrant Deaths in New Mexico and Western Texas 

11. Human Rights in the Darién Gap of Panamá

 

TAKE ACTION NOW

Here is what you can do to take action this week in solidarity with migrants and their families. (See details at the bottom of this newsletter.)

A) SPEAK UP FOR DEMOCRACY IN EL SALVADOR

B)  SPEAK UP FOR PEOPLE IN HAITI

C) STOP DEPORTATIONS TO HAITI 

D) PROTECT UNACCOMPANIED MINORS

E) VISIT CAPITOL HILL: #ReuniteUS

F) HELP REFUGEES & MIGRANTS IN CLEVELAND

Migrant Justice Newsletter - MAR 2024

Migration and immigration enforcement continue to garner lots of attention, including from presidential candidates, as well as their supporters and opponents. Advocates for justice and human dignity might pay attention to trends in enforcement (including deportation proceedings) and detention.

See in this monthly newsletter (1) Immigration Court in Cleveland, OH, (2) ICE Air: Removal Flights, (3)  Racism in Immigration Court: The System Works As Designed, (4) At the Border: Recent Incidents at and around the US-Mexico Border, (5) Migrant Children Suffering in Open-Air Desert Camps, (6) US House puts forth “Defending Borders, Defending Democracies Act” HR7372, (7)  800+ Faith Leaders Call for Welcoming Immigration Policy, Reject Anti-Asylum Deal, (8)  SB4 in Texas Still on Hold, (9)  Iowa Residents Organize and Defeat Anti-Immigrant Bills

TAKE ACTION ITEMS:

A) Get Connected: NEO Friends of Immigrants 

B)  RE-Fund Refugee Resettlement 

C) Cut ICE Detention  

D) Volunteers Needed: Call for artists, writers (Ohio Immigrant Alliance)

Migrant Justice Newsletter - February 2024

Welcome to IRTF’s February 2024 newsletter on Migrant Justice and the current situation at the US-Mexico border. After you’ve looked through the articles, we hope you can take a few minutes to see the TAKE ACTION items at the bottom.

In this newsletter, please read about 

(1) Necropolitics, the Rationale of US Immigration Policy  

(2) Border Crossings in January Fell by Half

(3) ICE Air: Update on Removal Flight Trends 

(4) At the Border: Recent Incidents at and around the US-Mexico Border 

(5) How to Understand Regional Migration in an Election Year 

(6) Texas Builds Military Base on the Border, as Razor Wire, Legal Battles, and Tragedy

(7) Untold Accountability for “Gross Violations of Human Rights” at Open-Air Detention Sites at US-Mexico Border 

(8) Book Recommendations

TAKE ACTION NOW

Here is what you can do to take action this week in solidarity with migrants and their families. (See details at the bottom of this newsletter.)

A) Stop Using Asylum as Bargaining Tool

B) Protect Mauritanians Here in Ohio

C) End the Monroe Doctrine

D) Get Connected: NEO Friends of Immigrants

E) Volunteers Needed: call for artists, writers for Ohio Migration Anthology

F) Volunteers Needed: database help for migrants who were deported

A legislative spotlight falls on the bipartisan TPS for Mauritania Act of 2024, advocating for Temporary Protected Status for Mauritanians due to ongoing challenges of slavery and terrorism in their home country. The bill, introduced by Senator Sherrod Brown and Representatives Mike Carey, Joyce Beatty, and Greg Landsman, reflects a concerted effort to address humanitarian crises.

Delving into the theoretical realm, the concept of Necropolitics, coined by Achille Mbembe, is explored to unravel the racialized exclusion embedded in U.S. immigration policies. The analysis underscores the deadly consequences of deterrence-focused strategies and calls for a more humane approach grounded in acknowledging human dignity.

The next sections provide updates from the US-Mexico border, highlighting incidents, tragedies, and clashes between federal and state authorities, such as the intensifying conflict in Eagle Pass, Texas. These narratives bring to the forefront the immediate, tangible impacts of immigration policies on individuals and communities.

A critical examination of 'Gross Violations of Human Rights' at open-air detention sites further emphasizes the urgent need for accountability and systemic reform. Organizations file a federal complaint against the Department of Homeland Security, underscoring the importance of upholding human rights standards in the treatment of asylum seekers.

Religious voices resonate in the letter from fifty Catholic organizations urging the Senate to preserve the right to asylum, highlighting the moral imperative to uphold human dignity in immigration policies. Simultaneously, lawmakers challenge the longstanding Monroe Doctrine, aiming to reshape U.S. relations with Latin American and Caribbean nations.

Shifting gears, the document outlines Mexico's negotiation tactics with the U.S. regarding immigration enforcement. The intricate dance between the two nations reflects a broader geopolitical context, emphasizing the interconnectedness of regional challenges and the importance of collaborative solutions.

Concluding on a local note, the spotlight turns to grassroots initiatives like Americans Making Immigrants Safe (AMIS), which has been providing crucial support to asylum seekers in Cleveland since 2019. The narrative underscores the power of community-driven efforts in mitigating the challenges faced by newcomers.

The call to action section invites readers to engage with various initiatives, advocating for asylum rights, challenging the Monroe Doctrine, calling for the closure of Guantanamo Bay, and participating in solidarity trips to witness firsthand the conditions along migratory paths.




 

 

 

Migrant Justice Newsletter - JAN 2024

Over the last 12 months, there have been 1,482 ICE removal flights, mostly to Latin America and the Caribbean. Notably, there is a focus on removal flights to countries like Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador, raising concerns about the impact on individuals' rights and well-being. Three-quarters of removal flights are to those three countries. 

The lack of access to asylum at ports of entry has led to distressing situations for asylum seekers. US lawmakers are considering stricter restrictions on asylum, jeopardizing the safety and well-being of vulnerable individuals. The need for improving access to asylum and addressing the challenges faced by asylum seekers, especially women and children, is crucial.

Articles in this monthly newsletter: 1. ICE Air: Update on Removal Flight Trends. 2.   US Needs Better Access to Asylum, NOT Less.  3.   Mauritanians Deported from Ohio.  4. At the Border: Recent Incidents at and around the US-Mexico Border.  5. Accountability for ‘Gross Violations of Human Rights’ at Open-Air Detention Sites at US-Mexico Border.  6.    Black Immigrants and the Hidden Injustices of US Immigration Court.  7. Fifty Catholic Organizations Urge Senate to Not Restrict Asylum.   8. Congress Members Call for End to Monroe Doctrine and US Intervention in Latin America.   9. What Mexico’s President Wants in Exchange for Assisting the US with Immigration Enforcement.   10.  Americans Making Immigrants Safe (AMIS) helps asylum seekers become self-sufficient in Cleveland.

See the Take Action items listed at the bottom of this newsletter. Our advocacy is needed to maintain some modicum of humanity in the nation’s immigration system and to address root causes of migration. 

A) Tell Congress: The Right to Asylum Is NOT a Bargaining Tool

B) Ask your Congressperson to co-sponsor of HR943 calling for the end of the Monroe Doctrine

C) Tell President Biden to Shut Down Gitmo

D) Join a Solidarity Delegation to Panama

E) Tell Congress: Stop Funding War and Inhumane Migration Policies

Migrant Justice Newsletter - DEC 2023

Border security continues to be a hot button issue in Congress. And some congressional leaders are holding hostage other non-border issues because of their tough stance on immigration and desire to gut US asylum law. 

In last month’s newsletter, we shared an article about a one-page document that three Republican senators submitted to President Biden on November 6, summarizing the border and migration proposals they demand to include in the supplemental budget request that the president is submitting for the war in Ukraine, Israel/Gaza, and the US-Mexico border. The draconian measures include: ban asylum access for people who did not cross the border at ports of entry; ban asylum access for people who pass through other countries without seeking asylum there; heighten eligibility standards to pass a credible fear interview; expand migrant detention (including families and children); restrict temporary humanitarian parole.

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) and Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) responded in a combined letter on December 14, denouncing that: “Republicans continue to hold funding for America’s allies hostage at the expense of migrants and to pass Trump-era border policies.”

Articles in this monthly newsletter: 1) ICE Air: update on removal flight trends. 2) How US Policy Toward Latin America Has Fueled Historic Numbers of Asylum Seekers. 3) WOLA Urges Congress to Protect Asylum and Update Obsolete Border Policies. 4) At the Border: Recent Incidents. 5) Governor Abbott Signs Law to Arrest Anyone in Texas without Immigration Papers.

See the Take Action items listed at the bottom of this newsletter. Our advocacy is needed to maintain some modicum of humanity in the nation’s immigration system and to address root causes of migration.  1) Stop Border Militarization. 2) Take Action Now Against Extreme Asylum Restrictions.  3) Help Migrants and Refugess in Cleveland. 

 

Migrant Justice Newsletter - NOV 2023

In this monthly newsletter, we include the fiscal year-end numbers from Customs and Border Patrol. CBP reports 2,475,669 “encounters” of migrants at the US-Mexico border from OCT 2022-SEP 2023. That’s up about 100,000 from last fiscal year. 

Let’s be clear. There is no “border crisis.” But there is a humanitarian crisis at the border.

The numbers don’t justify any increased funding for CBP. Federal agents are not having to chase down tens of thousands of migrants along the river bank or into the desert along the 2,000 mile border. A large portion of the “encountered” migrants (roughly 30,000 per month) have actually turned themselves in voluntarily at ports-of-entry to request political asylum. Presenting themselves at ports of entry (i.e., the “legal” way to cross) are these nationalities in this order: Haiti, Venezuela, Mexico, Cuba, Honduras, Guatemala, Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Peru.

But the waiting time to schedule an appointment at the border crossing (via the CBP One app) and then waiting for the actual appointment—this is causing tens of thousands of migrants to seek humanitarian assistance on the Mexico side of the border as they sit it out and wait.

As burdensome as the asylum process is, a group of US senators is trying to make it worse. They are threatening to stall any supplemental budget request that Biden is submitting for the war in Ukraine, Israel/Gaza, and the US-Mexico border. They say that won’t approve any Biden request unless it contains new border restrictions, including: more detention, family and child detention, restrictions on humanitarian parole, and banning the right to asylum for migrants who do not present themselves at ports-of-entry (note: this is clearly an illegal provision that violates both domestic and international asylum law.). 

See the Take Action items listed at the bottom of this newsletter. Our advocacy is needed to maintain some modicum of humanity in the nation’s immigration system and to address root causes of migration. 

Articles in this monthly newsletter: 1.  ICE Air: Update on Removal Flight Trends. 2.  Migrants Coming to US-Mexico Border from All Over the World. 3.  Georgia Detention Center. 4.  At the Border: Recent Incidents at and around the US-Mexico Border. 5.  Senate Republicans Demand Restrictions on Asylum, More Detention. 6.  Biden Border Plan

Migrant Justice Newsletter - OCT 2023

When we hear about the Border Patrol apprehending people along the southern border, we tend to imagine people from Mexico or Central America. But the national origins of migrants are much more varied, and the Border Patrol isn’t exactly “apprehending” as many people because most are turning themselves in at ports-of-entry.

In this month’s newsletter, we report that 100% of Haitians encountered by the Border Patrol affirmatively presented themselves at ports-of-entry, as did 88% of Cubans and 96% of Russians. Although Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is reporting increases in the number of migrants it “encounters,” (an 82% increase from June to July; a 36% increase from July to  August), the numbers of migrants encountered by CBP are still well below the numbers from 2022.

Mexican nationals still top the numbers of encounters by CBP. But current trends indicate that Venezuelans might soon push them out of that number one spot.

To slow the migration of Venezuelans to the US, the Biden administration is taking some new steps. One: Biden signed an agreement with President Maduro to lift some of the economic sanctions on Venezuela and, in reciprocity, Maduro agreed to start accepting deportation flights of Venezuelans. Two: Biden announced in September that it will allow Venezuelans who entered the U.S. on or before July 31 to receive temporary protected status, allowing them to apply for a work visa and deferred deportation for 18 months. Three: Biden plans to spend $10 million in foreign aid to help Panama deport more migrants who do not qualify for asylum protections. Four: In June, the US opened two Safe Mobility Offices in Colombia (as it has in Costa Rica and Guatemala) to consider nationals from Cuba, Haiti, and Venezuela for humanitarian protection or other legal pathways. Five: The US had made deals with Panama and Mexico to begin deporting citizens of Venezuela from their countries.

Since Venezuelans can no longer get visas to fly to places like Mexico, many are been voyaging through the deadly jungles of the Darién Gap that lies between Colombia and Panama. According to the government of Panamá, 334,000 migrants have made the trek since January; 60% have been Venezuelan. The $10 million Biden is offering to Panama (see above) is intended to push US border enforcement south from the US-Mexico border to the Panama-Colombia border.

Migration justice advocates continue to call for addressing structural issues in Latin America that are pushing emigration. Many of those issues are caused by, or exacerbated by, US policies (e.g., militarization of security forces, economic sanctions, mineral extraction, support for non-democratic regimes). Unless people see hope of real change and can envision raising their families in safe environments at home, migration will continue. But the US continues to respond with militarized borders, criminalization of migration, mass incarceration, and deportation.

Migrant Justice Newsletter - September 2023

Welcome to IRTF’s September 2023 newsletter on Migrant Justice and the current situation at the US-Mexico border! After you’ve looked through the articles, we hope you can take a few minutes to see the TAKE ACTION items at the bottom.

 

In this newsletter, please read about 

1.    Immigration Court in Cleveland, OH

2.    ICE Air: Update on Removal Flight Trends

3.   Increase in Migrant Presence at the US-Mexico Border

4.   US-Mexico Border: “deadliest land route for migrants worldwide” 

5. Temporary Protected Status (TPS) updates 

6.  At the Border: Recent Incidents at and around the US-Mexico Border

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