Zooming to the border for human rights

Latest

One of the residents of a camp of asylum seekers in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico.
Photo/Charlene BuildbackBetter Frank

 
A delegation of activists, researchers and independent journalists, sponsored by the People’s Tribune and our sister bilingual publication, El Tribuno del Pueblo, are presenting a series of panel discussions via Zoom about how US immigration policies affect migrants, refugees and communities on both sides of the southern border. The first panel was Aug. 13, the second Sept. 3, and the next one is Sept. 17. Below are excerpts from two speakers at the Aug. 13 panel, which focused on the impact of the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) that force migrants and asylum-seekers to remain in Mexico while their pleas to enter the US are considered. Recordings of the panels will be posted later on the PT and TP websites.
Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley: “The stories of abuses and violations at the camp [in Matamoros, Mexico] are so many…They just want it to stop. They don’t want to go back home because they know it’s a sure death… they only want to be able to enter the United States where they believe they will be safe…The United States is solely responsible for such atrocities that are happening to thousands of families at the border. We have failed humanity because we have failed to stop policies that are breaking the human soul. Let us stop the inhumanity and the policies that destroy life. Let us stop MPP.”

Jennifer Harbury, attorney, human rights activist and advocate for farmworker families:
“Almost anyone that comes up from Central America or Africa or whatever has been told that if they talk [to US asylum officials] about what the cartels and gangs did to them or their family, that the next day someone will go after them or whoever got left behind….One young man fled after he was told they would kill his baby if he didn’t start working with them that night in Honduras. So he fled that afternoon with his wife and his baby. And when he got to Northern Mexico, he called home for his mom and little brother and sister, and they’d all been bludgeoned to death. So in Reynosa [Mexico], after four or five interviews with people, I found that half to 80% [of refugees] are being kidnapped [and held for ransom or sold]. It’s a very shocking level of violence, but it’s what’s really happening.”

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

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."

Abrego Garcia Detained Again, Could be Deported to Uganda

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran immigrant worker, was freed from detention in Tennessee Aug. 22 and then re-arrested by ICE on Aug. 25 in Maryland. The Trump administration is trying to deport Abrego Garcia to Uganda.

An Open Letter to Mayor Matt Mahan of San Jose, CA.

From the San Jose CA Frontlines: Stop the sweeps. Unhoused people want a safe place to stay. All people should be respected, shown compassion, understanding.

Global Food Authority Declares Catastrophic Famine in Gaza

On Aug. 22, the world's top authority on hunger crises officially declared that a catastrophe-level famine in Gaza exists—a humanitarian disaster engineered by Israel's relentless blockade of food aid and other life-saving supplies.

Thousands of Texans Protest Trump’s Redistricting Plan To Get More Votes

The Texas capitol of Austin saw 5,000 people protesting Trump’s unconstitutional redistricting plan and other issues threatening our democracy.

More from the People's Tribune