Contact:
Lauri Alvarez, Program Assistant
(202) 546-7010 | lalvarez@lawg.org
January 29, 2020
LAWG Joins Organizations to Denounce One Year Implementation of Remain in Mexico Policy along U.S.-Mexico Border
Washington D.C.-Today, Wednesday, January 29th, the Latin America Working Group (LAWG) joins immigrant rights, human rights, humanitarian, and faith organizations in Washington D.C. and other cities across the United States and U.S.-Mexico border in holding events to denounce the one-year anniversary of the start of the implementation of the Remain in Mexico or so-called “Migrant Protection Protocols” (MPP) policy. Currently being implemented at seven ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border, the policy has resulted in close to 60,000 asylum seekers from Central America and other countries being returned to Mexico to wait in unsafe conditions for months, throughout the duration of their asylum proceedings. There have been over 800 public reports of rape, kidnapping, torture, and other violent attacks against asylum seekers returned under this policy.Last September, tent facilities were set up by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Brownsville and Laredo, Texas with judges videoconferencing into courtrooms to hear asylum cases, representing serious due process violations for asylum seekers.
“The inhumane Remain in Mexico policy should have been terminated a long time ago. We must hold DHS accountable for the suffering this policy has caused. Sending families and children to wait in danger in Mexico with no access to due process or basic services and exposing them to kidnapping, torture, and rape is shameful. The Remain in Mexico policy shows the Trump Administration’s complete evisceration of our asylum system as we know it,” states Daniella Burgi-Palomino, co-director for the Latin America Working Group.
Today, LAWG will be joining faith organizations in an interfaith vigil on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. (steps of the Methodist Building, 100 Maryland Ave NE) at 11am EST to mark a national day of prayer and action for the one year anniversary of the disastrous Remain in Mexico policy.
Demonstrations will also be held by advocates in border cities and immigration courtrooms in the states of California, Texas and Arizona today and later this week.
Organizations are calling on members of Congress to support Representative Veronica Escobar’s bill (H.R. 2662) to defund and end Remain in Mexico/ MPP. In addition, they are urging all presidential candidates to commit to repealing the policy on their first day in office.
For more information see All About the Remain in Mexico Policy and Delivered to Danger.
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