Migrant Justice Newsletter and Urgent Actions – MAY 2023
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[You can read this monthly newsletter at https://www.irtfcleveland.org/blog]
Welcome to IRTF’s May 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 couple of 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 Flights: Update on Removal Flight Trends
3 .Labor Exploitation of Unaccompanied Minors: Congress is slow to act
4. New Protections for Immigrant Workers
5. At the Border: Recent Incidents at and around the US-Mexico Border
6. Effects of the end of T42 and DHS new plans for processing migrants
7.TAKE ACTION NOW
Here is what you can do to take action this week and act in solidarity with migrants and their families.
Tell Senator Sherrod Brown to take his name off Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s anti-asylum bill!
Bring Home Immigrants who’ve been deported from Ohio.
Tell Congress to Protect Dreamers
Immigration Court in Cleveland, OH
Ohio ranks #17 in filing deportation proceedings (out of 31 states that have immigration courts).
Ohio ranks #17 in ordering deportations.
Cleveland EOIR - Deportations proceedings filed
In April 2023, the amount of new cases filed reached a new record for this fiscal year. In April alone, 122,001 deportation proceedings were filed, bringing the previous 520,669 cases up to 642,670. This tops the previous record of new cases filed by 17,643.
In Ohio, 2,261 new deportation proceedings were filed in April, bringing the fiscal year total up to 10,827. Nationwide, Ohio climbed to #17 in filing new deportation proceedings.
TRAC Data April 2023
New deportation proceedings filed (through April 2023) | New cases in April 2023 in Cleveland | Cleveland, Ohio since October 1 2022 | U.S. since October 1 2022 |
In total | 2,261 | 10,827 | 642,670 |
Brazil | 72 | 316 | 14,594 |
Colombia | 198 | 999 | 69,427 |
El Salvador | 31 | 143 | 13,300 |
Guatemala | 83 | 605 | 30,240 |
Haiti | 165 | 924 | 42,308 |
Honduras | 40 | 529 | 38,759 |
Mexico | 145 | 833 | 63,113 |
Nicaragua | 80 | 875 | 38,781 |
Peru | 56 | 325 | 38,837 |
Venezuela | 361 | 1,178 | 66,483 |
Nationwide 39,028 deportation proceedings have been filed against Cubans since the beginning of the fiscal year. In April the number rose by 3,523. By nationality, Colombians are #1 in new deportation proceedings with 69,427, followed by Venezuelans at #2 with 66,482 cases, and Mexicans at #3 with 63,113. In Ohio, Venezuelans are #1 with 1,178 cases, Colombia #2 with 999 cases and Haiti #3 with 924 cases.
Cleveland EOIR - Deportations Ordered
In April 2023 the immigration court in Cleveland, OH, ordered 525 new deportations, setting the total to 2,980 for this fiscal year. In good news, Ohio has fallen to #17 deportations ordered.
Deportations ordered | New deporations ordered last month in Cleveland | Cleveland, Ohio since October 1 2022 | U.S. since October 1 2022 |
In total | 525 | 2,980 | 129,951 |
Brazil | 15 | 101 | 5,333 |
Colombia | 26 | 84 | 6,427 |
Ecuador | 5 | 33 | 4,992 |
El Salvador | 16 | 128 | 10,187 |
Guatemala | 101 | 753 | 26,797 |
Haiti | 25 | 96 | 1,978 |
Honduras | 93 | 528 | 29,391 |
Mexico | 55 | 313 | 13,784 |
Nicaragua | 80 | 361 | 11,032 |
Venezuela | 30 | 98 | 3,682 |
Furthermore, the number of Peruvians ordered for deportation is now 2,715 nationwide, 477 more than last month. In Ohio 23 Peruvians were ordered for deportation.
In the Juvenile Court docket of Cleveland, 38 new minors received a deportation order in April 2023. This raises the total number of deportations ordered by the Cleveland Immigration Juvenile Court docket to 206.
Ordered deported in April 2023:
38 Overall
25 Guatemalan minors
8 Honduran minors
2 Salvadoran minors
3 Nicaraguan minors
Current fiscal year - minors ordered deported from Cleveland (since OCT 2022)
206 Overall
115 Guatemalan
73 Honduran
9 Salvadoran
6 Nicaraguan
2 Mexican
1 Chilean
MINORS ordered deported from Cleveland EOIR (juvenile docket) each month of FY 2023:
30: OCT 2022
27: NOV 2022
37: DEC 2022
27: JAN 2023
47: FEB - MAR 2023
38: APR 2023
Source: TRAC at Syracuse University (Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse)
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ICE Air Flights: Update on Removal Flight Trends
The U.S. government’s COVID-19 public health emergency order expired on May 11, 2023 — this includes the Title 42 order that has expelled over 2.5 million migrants from the US-Mexico border. The Biden Administration is now rolling out plans that would continue to restrict many migrants’ access to asylum, including a “transit ban” and ultra-rapid adjudication of asylum cases under conditions of expedited removal.
Since President Biden’s inauguration there have been 16,584 likely ICE air flights, including 2,879 removal flights.
ICE Air Flights
The number of observed removal flights to ten different countries in Latin America and the Caribbean continues to rise. Over the last 12 months, there have been 8,329 ICE Air flights; 1,421 of those have been removal flights (up 370 from 2021). With an estimated average of 100 passengers per flight, this means that over the past 12 months, as many as 142,100 people could have been returned to Latin America, the Caribbean and a small number to Africa by air by the U.S.
The continuation of Title 42 has passed the debate on whether the health order is still relevant and justified. It is threatening a person’s basic human right to seek refuge in the U.S. Furthermore, it bears life-threatening consequences to many who are coming to the U.S. border and are met with xenophobia and immediate removals.
Removal Flights, Lateral Flights, Domestic Shuffles:
In April 2023, there were 745 ICE Air flights, utilizing 31 different planes operated by 7 different charter carriers (IAero, World Atlantic, GlobalX, OMNI, Eastern, National Cargo, and Gryphon).
Shuffle flights:
Shuffle flights increased by 51 to 440 as a result of the increase of 46 lateral flights, primarily from El Paso. Shuffle flights are domestic flights transporting migrants from either from one processing center along the border to another, or from one detention center to another. Shuffle flights include the lateral flights, listed below.
Lateral flights:
Lateral flights in April surged from 53 in March to 99, up 46 but still below the peak of 134 in December 2022. This is because of an increase in flights from El Paso. There were a total of 77 lateral flights from El Paso, which averages out to 2.6 flights per day.
The total per day levels of encounters accelerated through the month with the 10-day daily average progression of 2.3, 3.5, and 4.1 following the acceleration in encounters.
As encounters increased in the Rio Grande Valley, lateral flights to Harlingen for expulsions into Matamoros were paused and there were 4 lateral flights from Harlingen, 3 to San Diego and 1 to Tucson.
In addition to the 77 flights from El Paso and the 4 from Harlingen, there were 12 from Yuma and 6 from Tucson.
Removal flights:
In April 2023, removal flights decreased from 145 in March to 117. Despite this decrease there was a noticeable increase in flights to several countries reaching their highest levels in over 3 years. Peru was up 4 (4 to 8), the Dominican Republic up 4 (3 to 7).
However, Ecuador was down 11, Honduras down 10, Guatemala down 7, Colombia down 3, El Salvador down 3, Brazil down 2, and Africa down 2.
Removal flights are a mix of migrants being sent back to their home countries under Title 42 (“expulsions”), Title 8 (“inadmissables”), and deportations. Countries now accepting T42 flights are: Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, and Peru.
Where are they being sent?
The countries from the Northern Triangle (Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador) all continue to top the number of monthly removal flights. Flights to the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala (33), Honduras (17), and El Salvador (4) comprised 46% of all removal flights, and with Colombia (21) and Ecuador (20) they comprised 81% of removal flights, the same as March.
Guatemala
ICE Air flights to Guatemala decreased by 7 from 40 to 33, as a result of fewer weekdays in the month and the Santa Semana pause. The 33 flights were above the 27 from April 2022 and above the prior 6-month average of 28.
Based on reports from Guatemala Migration the US returned 751 fewer people by air in April (4,005) than March (4,756), but also 1,092 more than April 2022.
With the 1 Mexican government deportation flights to Guatemala added to the ICE flights, Guatemala received 34 flights, returning 4,140 citizens by air from the US and Mexico. Combined with the estimated 1,325 Guatemalans returned by land by Mexico at Tecún Únam an estimated 5,465 Guatemalans returned by the US and Mexico, 4,695 less than in March.
Honduras
Flights to Honduras decreased by 10 from 27 in March to 17 in April. Encounters of Hondurans increased in April from 10,935 to 13,332 after a steady decline from 24,177 in June 2021.
In April 2023, estimated returns by ICE Air to Honduras of 2,040 persons represented 15% of March border encounters and 28% of those subject to Title 42, down from 30% and 48%, respectively.
There were no removal flights from Mexico, and land returns from Mexico plummeted in Pril to 388 from 1,389 in March. In April, the total air returns from the US and Mexico and land returns from Mexico totaled only 2,428.
Ecuador
Ice Air Flights to Ecuador decreased by 11 from 31 to 20. The monthly average flights from April 2022 through November 2022 was 2 per month compared to the average from December 2022 through April 2023 of 22.
Colombia
In April 2023, ICE Air Flights to Colombia decreased by 3.
El Salvador
Flights to El Salvador decreased from 7 in March to 4 in April.
Special Note: There has long been uncertainty as to whether El Salvador accepted returns of those subject to T42. According to a court declaration in November, El Salvador DOES NOT accept T42 flights, which means these are all T8 returns, some of which could be expedited.
Other destinations:
Dominican Republic:
Flights increased from 3 in March to 7 in April.
Peru:
Flights jumped from a normal level of 4 per month to 8 in April. 5 of the 8 flights were in the last half of the month.
Haiti:
Experienced 1 flight in what seems to be a monthly pattern
Brazil:
Flights decreased from 3 in March to 1 in April.
Cuba:
Experienced the first return flight since December 2020 on April 24.
Small Jet Removals
Observations included two flights on a Gryphon Air Gulfstream that carries 12-15 passengers as a maximum. Deportations on this route included Algeria.
Other destinations for ICE Air flights this month were:
Nicaragua (1)
Jamaica (1)
Mexico Operated Removal
Flights surprisingly dropped to only one, and that was to Guatemala on April 3.
Detention numbers seem to be lower in Mexico following the horrific fire in Juarez.
Sources: Witness At the Border, WOLA
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Labor Exploitation of Unaccompanied Minors: Congress is slow to act
“It can be argued that the US Government has become the middleman in a large scale, multi-billion-dollar, child trafficking operation run by bad actors seeking to profit off the lives of children.” – Tara Lee Rodas (Health and Human Services Whistleblower)
In 2022, 130,000 unaccompanied children crossed the U.S.-Mexican border. From the last two years, the numbers add up to a quarter million children (and possibly more that were not documented by government agencies) arriving at the border in hopes of receiving asylum. Under regular procedures, unaccompanied migrants under the age of 18 who turn themselves in at the U.S.-Mexico border to request asylum are sent to shelters run by ORR (Office of Refugee Resettlement), where they stay for what is set out to be a maximum of 60 days before being released to a sponsor — often a family member who already lives in the United States.
As the capacity for sheltering migrant minors was maxed out last year, headlines accumulated in newspapers about children sleeping on the floor in shelters or being placed in adult detention centers. This resulted in pressure from Xavier Becerra (Secretary of Health and Human Services) to minors out of shelters as quickly as possible, asking for procedures to be done similarly to “an assembly line.” A lack of background checks and post-release checkups with the children meant that some were released to people already sponsoring more than a dozen other migrant children or not providing proof of care of the children and enrolment in schools after their release — all of which are clear signs of trafficking and labor exploitation. The New York Times report (February 25, 2023) mentions shocking numbers of HHS losing contact with 85,000 children within a month of having been released to a sponsor last year. In total, HHS loses track of a third of migrant children after they are released from HHS custody.
The result? Children as young as 12 are then sent to manufacturing companies (even overnight shifts), slaughterhouses, construction sites or other high risk workplaces to earn money and work off their “debt” to their sponsors. They have been found working for Hearthside Food Solutions, Target, Walmart, Ben & Jerry’s, PepsiCo—and even auto plants like General Motors, Hyundai and Kia. One common strategy for companies to get away with it is through the use of third party staffing agencies.
The response? As chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) was one of the first Democrats to send letters to the Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services, demanding to know what steps were being taken to protect children from the conditions laid out in the New York Times article. In response, DHS (Homeland Security), HHS (Health and Human Services), and DOL (Department of Labor) all say they are increasing efforts to crack down on this illegal child labor. On February 27, DOL and HHS announced a new joint effort to combat exploitive child labor. (This came just two weeks after DOL and OSHA [Office of Safety and Health Administration] announced their own joint effort to crack down on employers illegally abusing migrant laborers.) In their news release, DOL and HHS spell out nine initiatives to increase their efforts to thoroughly vet sponsors of migrant children, investigate child labor violations, and hold companies accountable. DOL says it will hold all employers accountable to ensure child labor is removed from supply chains, even from third party staffing agencies.
So has anything happened on Capitol Hill?
On Capitol Hill, legislators have done little besides holding a couple hearings on the matter. Republicans are not likely to sign legislation that would punish big corporations—and that would only be imposing more fines. Democrats are reluctant to do much for fear that more publicity on the subject will make Biden’s immigration policies look bad.
On the Senate floor on March 9, Senator Dick Durbin spoke about the New York Times article that raised serious concerns about the vetting of sponsors of unaccompanied migrant minors. Then in late April, Senator Durbin said that he was working to bring in senior officials to testify about migrant child exploitation. It is expected that those hearings would be held in the Senate Judiciary’s Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, & Border Safety, chaired by Sen Alex Padilla (CA).
On April 18, ORR director Robin Dunn Marcos testified before the US House Committee on Oversight and Accountability (Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs) that her agency does not have enough resources to follow up on kids once they are released from the shelters. Director Marcos said that they are looking into an audit to investigate this further and coordinating more with the Department of Labor. Rep Robert García (D-CA), a top Democrat on the committee, said, “We also need to have a serious conversation about how we make sure that we're fully enforcing our labor laws and holding corporations accountable when they knowingly and illegally profit from child labor. So I personally support legislation to crack down on these unethical employers.”
The Judiciary Committee of the US House has a Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security and Enforcement, chaired by Rep Tom McClintok (CA). On April 26, the subcommittee held hearings and heard from four expert witnesses: Tara Lee Rodas (Health and Human Services Whistleblower), Sheena Rodriguez (Alliance for a Safe Texas), Jessica Vaughn (Center for Immigration Studies), and Robert Carey (Migration Works LLC).
Tara Lee Rodas testified: “I was deployed to the Pomona Fairplex Emergency Intake Site in California to help the HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement reunite children with sponsors in the US…I discovered that children are being trafficked through a sophisticated network that begins with being recruited in home country, smuggled to the US border, and ends when ORR delivers a child to a sponsors—[and] some sponsors are criminals and traffickers and members of Transnational Criminal Organizations.”
Tara Lee Rodas continued: “Realizing that we were not offering children the American dream, but instead putting them into modern-day slavery with wicked overlords was a terrible revelation. These children are a captive victim population, with no access to law enforcement or knowledge of their rights. They are extorted, exploited, abused, neglected, and trafficked. This is why I blew the whistle.”
Is their legislation to address this issue?
Sen. Josh Howley (D-MO) introduced the Corporate Responsibility for Child Labor Elimination Act of 2023 (S.1434) on May 3, 2023. The bill would require that large businesses (annual receipts of $500 million or more) disclose and eradicate the use of unlawful child labor in their supply chains. The bill was sent to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, which is chaired by Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT). It currently has no co-sponsors.
The Child Labor Prevention Act (S.637) was introduced on March 2, 2023 by Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI). With five original sponsors, it too was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. The bill, which now has 12 co-sponsors, would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to apply child labor laws to independent contractors and increase penalties for child labor law violations. Penalties could go as high as $600,000 per violation (the current penalty is capped at $15,000) and would be tied to the consumer price index and adjusted annually. In addition to punishing violating companies, persons employed at the those companies who are found responsible for repeated violations could be fined up to $50,000 and sentenced to 1 year in prison.
SOURCES
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/25/us/unaccompanied-migrant-child-workers-exploitation.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/17/us/politics/migrant-child-labor-biden.html
https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/05/09/congress-must-end-exploitation-unaccompanied-alien-children/
https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osec/osec20230227
https://www.nytimes.com/topic/subject/child-labor
New Protections for Immigrant Workers
OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) has announced two ways that it can help immigrant workers stay in the United States so they can exercise their rights to safe and just workplaces. OSHA's new authority to issue certifications for T-visas and U-visas, effective March 30, 2023, resulted from a joint memorandum signed by the secretaries of OSHA and the Department of Labor on February 13, 2023.
1- Deferred Action from Deportation for 2 Years
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has the authority to grant undocumented immigrants what is called Deferred Action, or, in other words, a temporary suspension of any deportation proceedings. If the participation of workers is needed to investigate safety and health conditions and enforce protections, OSHA can provide a “statement of interest” to DHS to advocate for Deferred Action for those workers. Even if OSHA is not involved, a local or state labor agency can do the same. If a worker is granted Deferred Action, then they can also get a 2-year work authorization.
2- Get U-Visas or T-visas for Migrants
OSHA can advocate that migrant workers be given a visa to legally remain and work in the US in order to further an OSHA investigation, such as abuses at a poultry plant. The U-visa provides legal status to workers who (1) have experienced physical or mental abuse as a result of an employer’s criminal activity, (2) have information about the criminal activity, and (3) can help OSHA (or another enforcement agency) take legal action against the employer. The T-Visa provides legal status to workers who (1) are victims of human trafficking and (2) can help OSHA (or another enforcement agency) take legal action against the employer. Workers at any one abusive workplace might qualify for one or both visas. For example, if the worker suffered mentally or physically from working conditions, they could qualify for a U-Visa. If they were forced to stay at their job against their will, they could qualify for a T-Visa. NOTE: While OSHA can provide a certification or “statement of interest” on behalf of migrants, they cannot issue the visas themselves. USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) determines whether an applicant qualifies for the T-visa or U-visa.
In sum:
Although getting Deferred Action from deportation is quicker than the USCIS application process for a visa, the visa route is better in the long run. Once a migrant has Deferred Action, then they can apply for the T-visa or U-visa. With a visa, the migrant can legally live and work in the US for 4 years and at year 3 can apply for a green card (permanent residency). Deferred Action is basically a temporary limbo status that does not lead to permanent legal adjustment of status. The best known case of Deferred Action is DACA, which for young people who came to the US undocumented when they were minors. DACA recipients (or “Dreamers”) are still without any pathway to permanent legal status. It is quicker to get Deferred Action.
Sources
https://nationalcosh.org/resources/new-protections-immigrant-workers
https://blog.dol.gov/2023/03/31/how-oshas-new-authority-empowers-immigrant-workers
https://www.osha.gov/news/newsreleases/readout/02132023
https://www.whistleblowers.gov/ut_visa
At the Border: Recent Incidents at and around the US-Mexico Border
This is a space where we share current incidents from the US southern border to show that these issues that we write about do, in fact, immediately affect people at the border and in detention, and the horrible things many migrants have to experience while seeking refuge in the U.S.
Eight-year-old child dies in Border Patrol custody in Harlingen, TX
Mabel Alvarez Benedicks from Honduras and her husband crossed into the US with their three children (ages 8, 12, 14) in the Lower Rio Grande Valley on May 9. They were taken into custody at the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) station in Harlingen, TX. Mabel told CBP agents that Ana, age 8, was struggling to breathe and even walk. She let them know that Ana had a history of heart problems and sickle cell anemia. Despite receiving a diagnosis of influenza prior to arriving at the Border Patrol station, agents denied her a request to take her daughter to a hospital by ambulance. Not until May 17, when Ana fell unconscious and had blood coming out of her mouth, did agents call an ambulance. Mabel later told news reporters that Ana did not have any vital signs before leaving for the hospital, where she died that same day.
SOURCES
https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/17/child-death-border-custody/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2023/05/18/migrant-girl-dead-us-border-custody-texas/
Want to find out more about the conditions at the southern US border? Sign up for the weekly Border Update from WOLA. https://www.wola.org/tag/weekly-border-update/
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Effects of the end of T42 and DHS new plans for processing migrants
With the end of Title 42 on May 11th, it is time to talk about the effects of Title 42 at the border. Before we get into the effects of T42 we should cover some basic information about it. Title 42 is a public health provision which authorizes the government in regulating foreign nationals from entering the United States to avoid a public health hazard and was instituted on March 20, 2020 by The Trump Administration. When the Biden Administration took office there was an initial rescission of the provision but it was upheld due to litigation, T42 was continued exclusively for Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Mexican nationals until October 2022 when Venezualens were added. There were several ways that both administrations went about expelling migrants under T42, one of those being ICE Air flights. The ICE Air Flights have been operating since 2020 and have accumulated about 21,690 total ICE Air flights; 3,946 of those being removal flights.
During T42
The amount of people stuck at the border due to T42 and other immigrant legislation has led to an increase in human smuggling and other violence amongst migrants. The motivators for violence against migrants at the border may indicate the function that state militarization and the accompanying and overlapping non-state violence plays.
The Top 10 Types of Border Violence:
- Kidnapping (2346)
- Robbery (234)
- Extortion (195)
- Mex. Police Extortion (95)
- Sexual Assault and Rape (71)
- Mex. Police Assault (212)
- Threats (158)
- Assault (124)
- Disappearances (73)
- CBP expulsions of migrants (3720)
These 10 types of violence are separated into 3 different reasons; violence for profit, market control, and CBP expulsions. “Their (the police) main function is to maintain control of the marketplace by alerting Cartel members of rival intruders and informing Cartel members about migrants’ presence. gaining control of the market share in human smuggling are listed in Table 5: disappearances, rape, robbery, assault, threats, Mexican Police assaults and extortions.” (Out of Sight, Out of Mind) 81% of the violence under T42 is for profit while only 19% is for market control.
The amount of immigrants that have been in the marketplace along the US-Mexico Border has been because of how predictable the Border Patrol is on how many expulsions they make and the geographic locations. The spelling of migrants into Mexican Ports of entry, the migrants are vulnerable to informers notifying Cartel members, leading to the migrants being kidnapped and extorted. “Expulsions are the most organized section of a compressed supply chain which fed migrants into the systemic violence carried out against them at US Ports of Entry and in the Northern Mexican border zone. (Out of Sight, Out of Mind)”
After T42
Militarization of the Border
With the end of Title 42, the Biden Administration is planning to temporarily militarize the border by deploying another 1,500 active-duty troops to the southern border ahead of the expected influx of migrants seeking asylum. These active-duty service members will NOT have a law enforcement role, they will be armed for self-defense but will be performing monitoring and administrative tasks only, giving Border Patrol Officials the ability to process migrant claims. The troops will additionally, fill “critical capability gaps” including detention and monitoring, data entry and warehouse support. The administration claims that the service members will only be there for 90 days and then there will be military reservists or contractors who will do the work.
U.S. Immigrant Processing Center
The Biden Administration plans to set up new immigration processing centers in Colombia and Guatemala as part of a wider effort to curb human smuggling. The State Department claims that the centers will encourage migrants to avoid smugglers and seek to come to the US legally by boosting refugee admissions, increasing family reunification visas and expanding other lawful channels. They also say that the migrants that do not go through the Processing Centers will be facing stiffer consequences if they cross the US border, including Fast-tracked deportations, a five-year ban on reentry and possible criminal charges. Mayorkas said that deportees will include “those who arrive at our border who do not have a legal basis to stay, who have made the journey, often having suffered horrific trauma and having paid their life savings to the smugglers.”
The Biden Administration has framed this strategy as a more balanced and humane approach than the previous policies. However, the measures that have been outlined by Blinken and Mayorkas amount to a high-stakes bet that migrants across the Western Hemisphere will forgo the dangerous journey to the US border if they believe they have a good chance of qualifying for legal entry. The centers in Guatemala and Colombia are expected to process 5,000 to 6,000 applicants a month but officials said they plan to increase the number of slots and locations. The centers will be operated by the United Nations and the US officials will screen applicants for eligibility.
The US authorities have documented record numbers of illegal entries along the border and warn that thousands of migrants are in northern Mexico planning to cross the border after T42 is lifted. Authorities predict that encounters will increase from 7,000 a day to more than 10,000 after T42.
For more information please go to:
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/05/02/1500-more-troops-southern-border-00094850
Sources: Washington Post, Politico, Out of Sight Out of Mind, Independent
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TAKE ACTION NOW
Now that you are up to date on the issues at and around the southern border of the U.S., here is what you can do to take action this week and act in solidarity with migrants and their families.
Tell Senator Sherrod Brown to take his name off Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s anti-aylum bill!
The US House passed H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, on May 11 with a roll call vote of 219-213. The legislation would restrict asylum, increase detention, and instruct Homeland Security to resume construction of the border wall. Unless the Senate makes significant modifications, the new law will expel migrants from the US for a two-year period similar to what was allowed under Title 42, subjecting asylum seekers to further harm.
Find your members of Congress (2 senators, 1 representative); Capitol Switchboard: +1 202-224-3121. Tell your senators that you strongly oppose HR 2. For your US rep in the House, ask how they voted and express your opinion. Urge that they support policies that protect asylum and provide adequate resources for a humane reception of migrants.
Sample Call Script: “My name is [First, Last] and I live in [City, State]. I’m calling to express my concern about the situation of asylum seekers at our southern border. I understand the need to keep our border safe, but policies like the new asylum rule from the Biden administration and bills moving forward in the Congress go against our legal and moral obligations as a country to offer safe refuge to those fleeing violence and persecution. This issue is important to me as a person of faith/conscience, and I encourage [Senator/Representative Last Name] to support policies that protect access to asylum and provide resources to organizations that are helping to welcome migrants.”
Note to Ohio residents: Senator Brown has signed onto another anti-immigrant/ anti-asylum bill in the US Senate (S 1473) put forth by Senator Kyrsten Sinema of AZ and Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina. Read Senator Sinema’s statement about this proposed legislation here. This bill would effectively end the legal right to asylum, create a new detention and expulsion regime, require mandatory detention of children and families, and would also further militarize border communities. Contact Senator Sherrod Brown and express your opposition to this anti-asylum bill! Click here to send a message to Senator Brown.
Bring Home Immigrants who’ve been deported from Ohio.
Amplify the national campaign “Chance to Come Home”!
Show up for Ohioans who were deported and want to come home! Register for the "Chance To Come Home" campaign launch with the National Immigrant Justice Center and use this social media toolkit to spread the word. This national campaign features three Ohioans who are a beloved part of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance—Tina from Dayton, Goura from Columbus, and Ibrahima from Cincinnati. They were all ripped from their children and lives in the US during the previous administration. Get involved so they and others can come home!
Tell Congress to Protect Dreamers
DACA, the policy in place to protect Dreamers, has been ruled unlawful by two separate federal courts since 2021, and although the rulings allow the nearly 600,000 DACA recipients to keep and renew their status, the Supreme Court could very well strip these protections if they concur with the lower courts.
Only Congress has the tools to provide permanent protections by passing legislation to create a pathway to legal status for Dreamers. The Dream Act of 2023 (S.365) was reintroduced by Senators Graham and Durbin in the Senate this year to provide this pathway.
We call on our community to contact their members of Congress to rise to the urgency of the moment and to pass a bill like the Dream Act to protect individuals who have called this country their home their whole lives.
Click here to send a message to Congress.
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