Author: Emma Buckhout
It’s time for a real humanitarian solution to a humanitarian crisis.
Tell President Obama: children and families fleeing Central America and Mexico deserve to be protected, not placed in greater danger.
Last summer, the a surge of tens of thousands of unaccompanied children and families arriving at the U.S. southern border, primarily from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Mexico, caught the U.S. media and policymakers unaware. The U.S. government mobilized to detain and deport recent migrants as quickly as possible and to stem the flow of future migration. And it encouraged the governments of the region to do their part as well.
One year later, fewer children and families are arriving at the U.S. border, but not because the conditions driving people to flee have changed. The biggest change appears in the way immigration is enforced along the way, especially in Mexico.
Tell President Obama it’s time to stop asking Mexico to do the U.S.’s dirty work. Sign the petition here>>
After implementing its new “Southern Border Plan” in late 2014, Mexico dramatically increased its apprehension, detention, and deportations of migrants, and was praised by the Obama Administration for its efforts. Mexico is on track to increase its deportations of individuals, including children, back to the Northern Triangle by 70% this year, and has already surpassed the U.S. in apprehensions. Yet many of these children and families have reported fleeing violence in their home country and have serious protection needs that are being overlooked. Increased enforcement without adequate humanitarian protections pushes migrants into more dangerous routes in Mexico, and sends vulnerable individuals back to the danger they fled.
Escalating immigration enforcement in Mexico is NOT a solution to increased migration. Urge President Obama to stop passing the buck—it’s time to get to work on addressing the root causes of migration and providing real protection! Sign here>>
