You can read this monthly newsletter at https://www.irtfcleveland.org/blog.
Introduction
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.
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Welcome to IRTF’s October 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. ICE Air: Update on Removal Flight Trends
2. Biden to Expand Immigration Enforcement to the Colombia-Panama Border
3. Book Review: Migrating to Prison
4. At the Border: Recent Incidents at and around the US-Mexico Border KADY
5. Migrant Presence Continues to Increase at the US-Mexico Border
TAKE ACTION NOW
Here is what you can do to take action this week and act in solidarity with migrants and their families. (See details at the bottom of this newsletter.)
A) Root Causes of Migration: Hands Off Haiti
B) Root Causes of Migration: Stop the persecution of Afro-Indigenous Hondurans!
C) Stop New Forms of Family Detention
D) Defund Hate
1- ICE Air: Update on Removal Flight Trends
The U.S. government’s COVID-19 public health emergency order expired on May 11, 2023 — this includes the termination of the Title 42 order that resulted in the expulsion of over 2.5 million migrants from the US-Mexico border. With the end of Title 42, in June the government started to ramp up expedited removal deportations under Title 8.
Since the Biden Administration took office, there have been:
- a total of 20,086 ICE Air Flights
- 3,486 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 8,411 ICE Air flights; 1,358 of those have been removal flights. With an estimated average of 100 passengers per flight, this means that over the past 12 months, as many as 135,800 people could have been returned to Latin America, the Caribbean and a small number to Africa by air by the U.S.
Removal Flights, Lateral Flights, Domestic Shuffles:
In September 2023, there were 702 ICE Air flights, utilizing 24 different planes operated by 4 different charter carriers (IAero aka Swift, World Atlantic, GlobalX, and Gryphon). This is a more usual range following the 45-month record in August of 856.
Lateral flights:
32 AUG 2023
26 SEP 2023
Lateral flights in September decreased from 32 to 26. It appears that even with the escalation of encounters lateral flights are less used after T42. Laredo received the most lateral flights at 11 followed by El Paso at 6, and McAllen, Harlingen, and San Diego each with 3. San Diego stopped receiving lateral flights after September 10. The most flights originated in Tucson with 12, followed by Yuma with 6 and Del Rio and El Paso with 4 each.
Shuffle flights:
476 AUG 2023
397 SEP 2023
Shuffle flights decreased from 476 in August to 397 in September. 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 above.
Removal flights:
153 AUG 2023
127 SEP 2023
In September 2023, removal flights decreased from 153 in August to 127 in September. The Northern Triangle countries of Honduras (44), Guatemala (45), and El Salvador (10) are 78% of all removal flights.
Removal flights are a mix of migrants being sent back to their home countries under Title 8 (“inadmissables”), and deportations.
Numbers and destinations of removal flights in SEP 2023
45 flights to Guatemala
44 flights to Honduras
10 flights to El Salvador
9 flights to Ecuador
5 flights to Colombia
4 flights to Peru
2 flights to Dominican Republic
1 flight to Brazil
1 flight to Haiti
1 flight to Jamaica
1 flight to Nicaragua
Country Details
Honduras
51 AUG 2023
44 SEP 2023
Removal flights to Honduras decreased from 51 in August to 44 in September, still the second-highest month in 45 months. For the sixth month in a row, there were no removal flights from Mexico to Honduras. Land returns remained low at an estimated 630.
Guatemala
52 AUG 2023
45 SEP 2023
ICE Air flights to Guatemala decreased from 52 in August to 45 in September, still the 3rd highest month in 45 months. For the fourth month in a row, there were no deportation flights from Mexico to Guatemala, but Mexico did return 2,140 Guatemalans by land.
Ecuador
8 AUG 2023
9 SEP 2023
Ice Air Flights to Ecuador increased to 9 in September from 8 in August.
Colombia
7 AUG 2023
5 SEP 2023
ICE Air Flights to Colombia decreased from 7 (August) to 5 (September).
El Salvador
9 AUG 2023
10 SEP 2023
Flights to El Salvador increased from 9 in August to 10 in September.
Dominican Republic
4 AUG 2023
2 SEP 2023
Flights decreased by 2 (4 in August; 2 in September).
Peru
11 AUG 2023
4 SEP 2023
Decreased by 7 (11 in August; 4 in September)
Haiti
2 AUG 2023
1 SEP 2023
Experienced 1 flight in September down from 2 in August.
Brazil
0 AUG 2023
1 SEP 2023
Flights increased to 1 in September.
Cuba:
Experienced the first return flight since December 2020 on April 24. Followed by 1 in the following 6 months including September. The Government of Cuba announced that only 324 people have been returned on the 6 flights this year.
Other Removal Destinations
Nicaragua (1)
Jamaica (1)
Mexico Operated Removal
Flights surprisingly stopped altogether in June, July, August, and September.
Sources: Witness At the Border
3- Biden to expand immigration enforcement to the Colombia-Panama border
During the Obama administration, the US government started pushing its immigration enforcement south of the US/Mexico border. Millions of dollars were sent to militarize Mexico’s security forces to catch migrants (mostly from Central America) as they made their way north toward the US. By the end of his administration, Obama boasted that more migrants were being expelled from Mexico than from the US/Mexico border.
Now President Biden is pushing the enforcement much further south. The media outlet Axios.com reported on September 29 that Biden was notifying Congress of his intent to spend up to $10 million in foreign aid to help Panama deport more migrants who do not qualify for asylum protections. The six-month pilot program would initially target single, adult males and could start as soon as mid-October, involving the State Department and Department of Homeland Security.
Significant numbers of migrants and asylum seekers have been voyaging through the deadly jungles of the Darién Gap that lies between Colombia and Panama, many headed for the U.S. According to the government of Panamá, 334,000 migrants have made the trek since January; 60% have been Venezuelan. Since the Venezuelan government had not been cooperating with the US in accepting its deported citizens, having Panamá deport them instead would be a convenient workaround. [Note: After the US and Venezuela signed an agreement on October 17 that would lift some of the US-imposed sanctions, US deportations to Venezuela resumed. The first flight from Harlingen, TX, carried 127 Venezuelans for repatriation on October 18. The agreement calls for about two deportation flights per week.]
Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), who recently ceded the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) after being indicted on bribery charges, has been a long opponent of measures to enlist other countries to enforce US immigration policy. He blocked a similar attempt by Trump. Menendez told Axios: “Assisting other countries to instead deport vulnerable asylum seekers back to the dangers they fled would fly against our domestic and international obligations to those seeking refuge from persecution and oppression."
The Migration Policy Institute recently published a story on the treacherous Darién Gap that covers northern Colombia and southern Panamá. The 10,000-square-mile region, which hosts some of the highest mountain ridges in Panamá, as well as hundreds of rivers and heavily forested valleys, is sparsely inhabited, mostly by Indigenous communities and criminal gangs that benefit from the absence of government authorities. The roughly 60-mile Darién Gap is the only stretch of the Pan American Highway where the asphalt does not exist; the highway was never completed there. Indeed, there are no roads, no bridges, no cellphone service. But despite the inhospitable terrain, it remains the only land-based pathway connecting South America to Central America.
The numbers of migrant crossers have increased dramatically since Panamá started keeping track in 2010, when there were just 2,400 crossings that year. Initially migrants came from Haiti and Cuba. But in 2022, most of them were from Venezuela, exceeding 150,000. That was the year that Mexico and several Central American countries began to require visas for Venezuelans. So far in 2023, about 84% of the migrants come from Venezuela, Ecuador, and Haiti.
To address the migration of one group—Venezuelans—the Biden administration 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. But those entering the US since August 1 are not eligible for this TPS (Temporary Protected Status) and therefore subject to deportation. On October 18, deportation flights from the US to Venezuela resumed.
Another new and notable trend is migration from outside the Western Hemisphere, particularly Central and West Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. Since 2015, Panama has registered more than 100,000 extra-continental migrants from at least 60 African and Asian countries. In fact, in 2017 and 2018 most migrants through the Darién Gap originated in Asia, and the most common nationalities were Indian, Nepalese, Bangladeshi, and Cameroonian. In 2023, country-of-origin trends have shifted, with the most common extra-continental nationalities now including Chinese (more than 13,000 through the first eight months of the year), Indian (3,300), and Afghan (2,600).
The trek is dangerous. Most migrants start with at least a tent or tarp, but these items get heavy quickly, and people cannot carry enough supplies for the whole journey. When they run out of water, they drink from rivers, making them sick and dehydrated. Some break bones or dislocate joints while hiking the difficult terrain. Others drown crossing rivers. Panamanian authorities have reported finding 124 bodies in the gap between January 2021 and April 2023. Doctors Without Borders has treated more than 200 victims of sexual violence so far this year, most of them women and girls, victimized by criminal groups that prey on the migrants. (Doctors Without Borders, UNICEF, the Panamanian Red Cross, and HIAS are among the humanitarian groups with ongoing presence in migrant camps.)
The US has been working to slow the flow of migrants through the Darién Gap. After US officials made a trip there in February, the governments of Colombia and Panamá agreed on a statement to make it harder for migrants to get through. But since that announcement in April, the numbers of migrants has increased. Mexico has agreed with U.S. officials to begin deporting citizens of Venezuela, Brazil, Nicaragua, Colombia and Cuba, pending negotiations with these countries. Panama has announced plans to ramp up deportations through chartered flights.
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. Collaborators in the effort are the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The IOM and UNCHR are tasked with determining whether each applicant qualifies for any one of four migration channels: resettlement as a refugee, family reunification, a temporary employment visa, or a humanitarian permit (aka humanitarian parole). But three months after its launch, less than 1% of the nearly 29,000 applicants in Colombia have passed through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP).
So the numbers of desperate migrants making the perilous journey through the Darién Gap continue to increase.
The Migration Policy Institute report concludes: “Rather than trying to close the border or viewing migrants as the challenge, governments would do better to train their focus on the challenges that people on the move face in the Darien Gap and in their origin countries. The United States and other countries could continue creating legal pathways for more diverse groups of migrants. Advocates have called for governments in South America to bolster access to asylum and refugee status for people fleeing persecution, and increase integration efforts for all types of newcomers. And all concerned governments could direct their efforts to make the region safer for those crossing…governments have yet to catch up—and protect the people risking their lives there.”
Sources:
https://www.axios.com/2023/09/29/biden-border-panama-foreign-aid-deportations
https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/darien-gap-migration-crossroads
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/venezuela/article280212664.html
https://quixote.org/posts/the-us-border-in-panama
4- Book Review: Migrating to Prison
The US has long had a dual take on migration. Some groups of migrants are demonized, and cruelty becomes enshrined in public attitudes (e.g., Chinese Exclusion Act 1882). But the need for immigrant labor is also recognized and encouraged (e.g., Bracero Program 1942-1964). Although locking up immigrants as national policy was essentially abolished in the 1950s and ‘60s, lawmakers disguised their bigotry with the mask of protecting public safety. They expanded the range of deportable offenses and limited judicial discretion. In his 2017 book (now available in paperback) Migrating to Prison: America’s Obsession with Locking Up Immigrants, immigration lawyer César Cuauhtémoc García Hernández describes the situation today as ICE’s “Immigration Prison Archipelago.” He makes a passionate, urgent call for the abolition of immigration prisons. But as long as right-wing commentators continue the fearmongering and for-profit corporations make money by locking up immigrants, lawmakers will continue to criminalize and imprison immigrants.
SOURCES
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/cesar-cuauhtemoc-garcia-hernandez/migrating-to-prison/
https://thenewpress.com/books/migrating-prison
5- 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.
Sep 27 - In the arid deserts outside Ocotillo, California, volunteers from the humanitarian group Water Station work tirelessly to prevent migrant deaths due to environmental exposure. Founded by physicist Dr. John Hunter, the organization places large blue barrels of water in Imperial County's deserts to aid migrants during the scorching months of March to October. Despite their efforts, the Border Patrol's strategy of "prevention through deterrence" intentionally funnels migrants into inhospitable terrains, leading to numerous deaths. The rerouting of migrant paths to remote deserts and mountains, combined with factors like climate change and anti-asylum measures, exacerbates the situation. Migrants, primarily Indigenous people from Latin America countries, face dangerous conditions, often due to extreme heat and dehydration. The lack of accurate recording of migrant deaths highlights the racial injustice built in U.S. immigration policies. To address this crisis, a shift towards humanitarian responses and the elimination of detrimental deterrence measures is essential.
OCT 5 - The Biden administration has utilized executive power to waive 26 federal laws in South Texas, allowing for the construction of more border barriers, a tactic previously employed during the Trump presidency. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the waivers in Starr County, Texas, citing a need to prevent unlawful entries into the U.S. and highlighting the areas's high illegal entry rates. DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stated: “There is presently an acute and immediate need to construct physical barriers and roads in the vicinity of the border of the United States.” The construction will use funds from a 2019 congressional appropriation and involves the waiver of laws like the Clean Air Act and Safe Drinking Water Act to expedite the process. Despite concerns from environmental advocates about the impact on public lands and wildlife habitats, the administration defended the move.
OCT 5 - The Biden administration has announced the resumption of deporting Venezuelan migrants, the largest group encountered at the U.S.-Mexico border recently. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stated that this move was part of the administration’s “strict consequences” policy paired with expanding legal pathways for asylum seekers. Deportation flights are expected to commence shortly, with Mayorkas emphasizing that those who arrived after July 31 and lacked legal basis would be sent back. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed the commitment to protect those who qualify for asylum. The decision faced criticism, with organizations like the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service expressing concerns about returning migrants to dangerous conditions. This action comes amid efforts to address the rising migrant numbers, and discussions between U.S. and Mexican officials regarding border security and combating drug trafficking, specifically the trafficking of the synthetic opioid fentanyl.
OCT 11 - The Mexican supreme court is considering reviving the controversial US-Mexico border policy known as the ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy, officially called the Migrant Protection Protocols. The policy, introduced during the Trump era, required asylum seekers in the US to wait in Mexico for their legal proceedings. Although Mexican non-profit legal group Fundación para la Justicia had obtained an injunction against this policy, the court is now discussing a draft decision to reverse the injunction. Fundación para la Justicia and other legal groups argue that this decision would violate migrants’ rights and Mexican constitutional and international treaty obligations. The ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy, initially aimed at easing pressure on the US asylum system, led to dire conditions for asylum seekers in Mexico, with reports of kidnapping, extortion, torture and sexual violence. Despite Biden’s decision to end the policy, legal battle led to list reinstatements in an updated form, resulting in continued challenges for asylum seekers. Upholding the draft decision in Mexico could potentially pave the way for more migration agreements between the US and Mexico without consequences. This decision would also complicate existing US-Mexico border agreements, such as title 8, which allows rapid deportation of migrants from the US. The context of this potential policy revival is a surge in vulnerable migrants moving through Central America and Mexico, with record numbers of detentions and asylum applications in Mexico. The decision, if made, would mark a departure from Mexico’s recent migrations-related rulings, raising concerns among rights groups about the enforcement of court decisions by Mexican authorities.
OCT 16 - El Paso, Texas, has gained national attention due to the influx of migrants, with media outlets like The New York Times and The Washington Post reporting on the strain it has placed on the city, its residents, and the economy. Local residents, including Nastassia Artalejo and Ivonne Diaz, express frustration at the polarizing opinions surrounding their city. Despite the increase in migrants, they do not believe it has led to violence or chaos. However, they are concerned about the growing militarization of El Paso. The city, located near Fort Bliss, witnesses a significant presence of federal agents and soldiers. Recent deployments, such as Texas Governor Greg Abbott's Operation Lone Star, have heightened tensions. Activists like Juan Paul Flores Vazquez and Juan Ortiz are critical of the government's spending on border enforcement, arguing that these funds could be used to address poverty and homelessness in El Paso. They emphasize that the crisis at the border is a result of policy decisions and advocate for community-driven solutions.
OCT 16 - A major settlement was announced by the American Civil Liberties Union today, concluding a years-long lawsuit on behalf of thousands of traumatized children and parents who were forcibly separated under the Trump administration's illegal zero-tolerance family separation policy at the border. The policy involved the forced separation of thousands of children, including infants and toddlers, from their parents, often with little warning. Families were sent to different facilities, sometimes thousands of miles apart, and had no information on when or if they would reunite. The government's handling of separated children was so deficient that identifying which child belonged to which parent became a challenge. The settlement covers an estimated 4,500-5,000 children and their parents. The US government commits to: continue to identify families that were separated, fund their reunification in the US, provide a pathway for them to seek asylum here, give access to work authorization, housing assistance, legal assistance, and medical services. Importantly, the government agreed not to reenact the zero-tolerance policy in the future. Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the ACLU, stated that this settlement is of utmost importance and closes a dark chapter in American history. Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU’s Immigrants Rights Project, noted that while it cannot fully repair the harm done to these children, the settlement is a vital step forward, offering significant benefits to affected families and ensuring that the zero-tolerance policy will not be repeated.
SOURCES
- https://calmatters.org/commentary/2023/09/water-migrants-lost-california-desert/
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/09/29/border-trump-child-separation/
- The Biden administration says it is using executive power to allow border wall construction in Texas | AP News
- Biden administration will resume deporting Venezuelan migrants | AP News
- https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/11/remain-in-mexico-supreme-court-border-policy-biden
- ACLU Announces Major Settlement in Family Separation Lawsuit | American Civil Liberties Union
- https://truthout.org/articles/el-paso-residents-say-border-crisis-is-manufactured-reject-militarization/
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/
5- Migrant Presence Continues to Increase at the US-Mexico Border
Migration numbers have been on the rise for the past couple months. US Customs and Border Patrol published detailed data about the agency’s encounters with migrants along the US-Mexico border in August. CBP reported a 36% increase (181,059 migrants) from July to August, and an 82% increase from June to July (WOLA). Even with this large increase, numbers are still below the ones seen in 2022.
Mexican nationals have the most number of Border Patrol apprehensions by country at the US-Mexico Border. The country with the lowest amount of apprehensions would be either Peru (2%) or a combination of other countries such as Haiti, Brazil, China, and Turkey. Of the combined 232,972 migrants encountered at the border in August, only 145,278 were issued notices to appear in US immigration court. This also gives a rough idea of how many were released into the US with asylum or other protection claims. Even with the number of encounters so far in 2023 being less than the number of encounters in 2022, the amount of notices issued in 2023 is higher than 2022.
Of migrants encountered at the border, nearly every nationality has increased since June. The greatest growth has been among citizens of; Guatemala (266% from June to August), Ecuador (167%), Honduras (133%), Cuba (131%), El Salvador (91%), Colombia (90%), and Venezuela (54%). Venezuelan migrants continue to increase very rapidly since the end of August. The number of Venezuelans is exceeding the largest number of Border Patrol apprehensions of citizens of a country other than Mexico in a month, 45,200 or about 1,500 apprehensions per day. In Venezuela, “people are exhausted by so many years of economic struggle, and global policies meant to change the situation have failed to keep them at home,” read a New York Times explainer.
A record of 116,721 migrants in August (50%) came as members of a family unit. Another 14,259 arrived as unaccompanied children. Of Border patrol’s 181,0559 apprehensions, 106,657 were either children or parents traveling with their children.
At land-border ports of entry (official border crossings) there were another 51,913 migrants, many of them being asylum seekers; out of the 51,913 migrants, 45,400 had made appointments on the “CBP One” app. The Biden administration has been encouraging asylum seekers to await appointments at ports of entry. Some nationalities are using this option to avoid being subject to deportation and sanctions under the post-Title 42 restrictions on access to asylum. 88% of Cuban migrants, 96% of Russian migrants, and 100% of Haitian migrants reported at ports of entry in August. Even with these extraordinary numbers at ports of entry, the CBP One app’s 1,450 appointments per day don’t seem to be keeping up with demand. “They are tired of waiting,” Juan Fierro Garcia of Ciudad Juárez’s El Buen Samaritano migrant shelter told the New York Times. “They are more desperate.” Some of the new arrivals aren’t aware that the app exists making it harder for them to get appointments.
Migration continues to increase in September with about 6,650 apprehensions per day during the first 17 days of September. A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official told CBS News that apprehensions surpassed “8,600 over a 24-hour period” during the week of September 17 becoming the “new normal”.
The US Border Patrol is divided into nine geographic sectors along the border. For two months in a row, Arizona’s Tucson Sector was the number one destination of encountered migrants; 27% (or 48,754 migrants) in Border Patrol custody were picked up (or presented themselves) in the Tucson sector. In Eagle Pass, TX, a large number of migrant were processed during the week of September 17. On September 21, CBP processed about 2,500 migrants who had turned themselves in; on September 22, Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas, Jr. told CNN that Border Patrol apprehended another 800 to 1,000 migrants.
“On September 20 and 21, authorities recovered the drowned bodies of an adult man and a three-year-old boy from the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass. The child was swept away by the current as he tried to cross with his family. Both drownings appear to have occurred upstream of the “buoy wall” that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has installed along 1,000 feet of the middle of the river in front of the city. (WOLA)”
Sources: WOLA (https://www.wola.org/2023/09/weekly-u-s-mexico-border-update-august-migration-data-mexicos-response-government-shutdown/ )
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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.
A) Root Causes of Migration: Hands Off Haiti
The Black Alliance for Peace, Zone of Peace Campaign, and Peoples Human Rights Observatory are calling for actions in solidarity with Haiti during October. Ever since Columbus stumbled onto Haiti on his first trip in 1492, imperialist powers have brought exploitation and repression in the form of genocide, slavery, and foreign invasions every time the people have resisted and asserted their autonomy. Today, amid a flood of distortions and misinformation, the US is orchestrating yet another invasion to attempt to reign in the chaos that has resulted from an unelected and US proxy government that has failed the Haitian people at every turn. The U.S. has tapped Kenya to lead a multinational force of “volunteer” nations to occupy Haiti, leaving their own troops at home while offering at least $100 million in support.
TAKE ACTION
Click here to tell your legislators:
-End the deportations of Haitian refugees!
-No detention of Haitians at the Guantánamo prison!
-Release pretrial detainees from Haitian prisons!
-No new invasion and occupation of Haiti!
B) Root Causes of Migration: Stop the persecution of Afro-Indigenous Hondurans!
Violent attacks against the Afro-Indigenous Garífuna people are perpetuated by actors with significant economic interests. Foreign and Honduran tourism industry investors, mining and energy companies, developers of the Zones of Economic Development and Employment (ZEDEs), and agro-industrial companies (palm oil, bananas, sugar) operate in full complicity with organized criminal groups, and many elements of the military, police, and local authorities of the current government and past administrations. Many of the projects linked to these interests operate in total impunity and with tremendous violence that seeks to displace the Garífuna peoples from their beautiful ancestral lands. This must stop.
TAKE ACTION
Click here to ask your congressperson to contact the government of Honduras to investigate the assassination attempt against Garífuna leader Miriam Miranda (on September 19) and take other measures in defense of the Garífuna people, including co-sponsorship of a U.S. House resolution in support of OFRANEH and the Garífuna people, which will be introduced by Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO-01) later this fall.
C) Stop New Forms of Family Detention
The White House recently sent a request to Congress for supplemental funding which included more than two billion additional dollars for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This funding would create new, and misleadingly named, “community-based residential centers” that would essentially reinstate a new form of family detention, increase funds for harmful surveillance and data sharing, and facilitate the rapid deportations of migrants exercising their legal right to seek asylum.
TAKE ACTION
Click here to end a letter to your congressperson. Demand no more money in our name to intentionally harm migrants and border communities.
D) Defund Hate
The Biden administration has been pushing “alternatives to detention.” In cities across the US, ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) contracts the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP) to surveil immigrants as a purported “alternative to detention.” ISAP subjects migrants to different methods of surveillance including ankle monitors, home visits, telephonic monitoring, and required check-ins at the ISAP office, which can be physically, emotionally, and psychologically abusive. ICE and ISAP restrict freedom of movement of our asylum-seeking neighbors and avoid all accountability measures.
The Defund Hate campaign has already been successful in blocking $15 billion requested for ICE and CBP. Don’t let Congress avoid accountability for the way their funding decisions impact communities. Together, we have the power to change this.
TAKE ACTION
Click here to sign the petition to demand Congress cut funding for ICE and CBP and defund hate!
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Thank you for reading IRTF’s Migrant Justice Newsletter!
Read the full IRTF Migrant Justice Newsletter each month at https://www.irtfcleveland.org/blog .
