Migrants huddle together in makeshift tents awaiting asylum hearings

Latest

Photo credit/FLOC

 
At the invitation of Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur and Sec-Treasurer Christiana Wagner, I accompanied a 17-member congressional delegation to visit the refugee camp in the dangerous Matamoros, Mexico. The delegation did fact-finding of President Trump’s “stay In Mexico” policy for migrants while waiting for asylum hearings.
The so-called Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) is a misnomer! Migrants squat near the international bridge for safety. Under constant pressure from gangs, cartels, kidnappings and rape, neighbors from their own countries huddle together in makeshift tents made out of plastic bags, sticks, and boards. We heard heart-breaking stories of how even their current situation is better than their home countries. A woman’s father was murdered by a local gang. She fled with her children after an extortion demand under threat of death to her and her children. Rapes and abductions are commonplace. US policy seems aimed at discouraging people from attempting asylum here by heaping misery upon these mostly poor, innocent people trying to survive.
We also visited the asylum processing center on the US side which was eerily empty! Migrants told us they had been waiting 6-8 months for their hearing. We asked why the interview rooms and courtrooms were empty. They said only the DOJ schedules hearings. Apparently, DOJ made scheduling down to a trickle to force the migrants into the intolerable conditions in Mexico.
We were briefed by the few attorneys about legal challenges. They are only permitted to gain access to clients the morning of their hearing, putting the migrants at an impossible disadvantage in preparing their petition. This is not justice, it’s a kangaroo court! This MPP is shameful, unjust and immoral.

PT Logo collage
+ Articles by this author

Free to republish but please credit the People's Tribune. Visit us at www.peoplestribune.org, email peoplestribune@gmail.com, or call 773-486-3551.

The People’s Tribune brings you articles written by individuals or organizations, along with our own reporting. Bylined articles reflect the views of the authors. Unsigned articles reflect the views of the editorial board. Please credit the source when sharing: ©2024 peoplestribune.org. Please donate to help us keep bringing you voices of the movement. Click here. We’re all volunteer, no paid staff.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Featured

Pushing People into a Really Bad System Will End Really Badly

President Trump's executive order fuses drug use and homelessness, ignoring that homelessness can cause or exacerbate substance use because people use drugs to cope with pain. Forced institutional settings rather than housing will not help the ill or unhoused.

Chicago Resistance Speaks: ‘Until All Are Free, None Are Free’

An uprising is growing as the government tries to impose a dictatorship. Chicago resistance leaders recently offered their thoughts in public remarks made at demonstrations and press conferences.

Los Angeles Continues to Rebuild and Resist

Angelinos, suffering from the profit over people economy, continue to rebuild after the fires and to protest immigration raids, while also experiencing joy in such difficult times.

Chicago Teachers Union Says: Trump, Stay Out of Our City

Chicago Teachers Union rejects any unlawful federal occupation of their city, while welcoming federal leadership that fully funds public education, restores SNAP, and expands Medicaid to healthcare for all.

Journalist Says Why ‘I Can No Longer Work With Reuters’

A photojournalist says why it is impossible for her to maintain a relationship with Reuters "given its role in justifying and enabling the systematic assassination of 245 journalists in Gaza."

More from the People's Tribune