Urgent Actions

The Rapid Response Network responds to urgent human rights alerts from Colombia, Central America and Southern Mexico. As a result, human rights crimes are brought to light, perpetrators brought to justice, and lives spared. Our voices do make a difference!

Initiated under President Trump, Title 42 has been maintained for two years despite calls from public health officials, Members of Congress, and advocates to end the policy. Under Title 42, asylum seekers have been returned to situations of grave danger in their countries of origin – a practice illegal under international law. Public health research has also shown that the policy can exacerbate the spread of COVID-19 rather than curtail it, and that there are safe ways to manage migrant arrivals during the pandemic. Take action to restore asylum!

The Cuyahoga County Jail Coalition is calling for a stop to plans for a $550 million new Cuyahoga County Jail which will increase taxes and do nothing to solve the root causes of our issues with poverty, mental health, or substance use. Tell our officials we do not want this costly, unneeded, and unnecessary new county jail.

The Biden administration extended Title 42 again this week. This ensures that for the next 60 days at least, migrants encountered at the border will continue to largely be denied any kind of due process, most of them facing immediate expulsion. Contact your members of Congress and push them to speak out against this policy.

Hundreds of water protectors are currently facing criminal charges in Minnesota for standing in defense of the water, the climate, and the treaty rights of the Anishinaabeg people. Sign this petition asking the governor of Minnesota to drop charges for water protectors at Line 3.

We call on President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas to halt all removals to Haiti immediately. The humanitarian crisis in Haiti continues to worsen. The United Nations special rapporteur on human rights stated in May that, “Armed violence has reached unimaginable and intolerable levels in Haiti.” In the days after that statement was made, your administration actually accelerated expulsions to Haiti, with multiple flights a day including extremely rare weekend removals.

As you are reading this, members of Congress are trying to make this policy permanent by attaching amendments to keep Title 42 in as many bills as they can manage, including budget bills. We can’t let these bills pass and let the cruelty continue at the border. It is more urgent than ever to speak up about ending Title 42. 

For the past two years, asylum seekers have been largely blocked from seeking safety by Title 42, under which over 1.7 million migrants have been summarily expelled. Join us in calling on our members of Congress to block any efforts to reinstate Title 42. We DO have the resources to process asylum seekers, and we stand ready to welcome!

The Garifuna mobilization organized by OFRANEH and other community leaders took over the Attorney General’s/Chief Prosecutors office (Oscar Chinchilla, Ministerio Publico) and filled the streets. Chinchilla is a JOH appointee and his office called the Ministry of Security to ask for repression, but as of this writing the Ministery of Security had not responded. Take Action in solidarity and send this pre-written letter!

President Biden has taken steps to address some urgent needs in the immigration system, but deportations and expulsions continue. Previous and current administrations have failed in their legal duty to protect the human rights of all migrants, particularly Indigenous peoples. The Biden administration needs to recognize, consult, and directly engage with the leadership of Indigenous and Black migrants.