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I was back in immigration court in El Paso today for more hearings on people in Migrant Protection Protocols, the "remain in Mexico" policy. 20 people in court, 8 no-shows. Again, some disturbing revelations. 1/
Rene, a man from El Salvador, said on March 29 he was robbed and stabbed in Ciudad Juarez. He went to the police but was told they couldn't help him because he wasn't Mexican. 2/
Esdras, a man from Guatemala, was robbed twice at a church shelter. He went to police with suspicions he was being victimized by a neighbor of the church and police recovered his stolen cell phone. He was then threatened by the neighbor's family. 3/
Juana, a woman from Guatemala, said people in a car came to her shelter saying they wanted to recruit "workers." She and others agreed but said they needed approval of the pastor's wife. The car, which had no plates, took off. 4/
Elvia, also from Guatemala, said she was robbed at a church shelter. Altogether, 9 of the 20 people in court told the judge they had a fear of returning to Mexico. 5/
The wildest point of the hearing came when a Salvadoran man named Elmer said he wanted to give up his request to stay in the US and go home to El Salvador because his son had gotten sick. You'd think that this is exactly an outcome the government would want. You'd be wrong. 6/
The DHS attorney objected, saying Elmer should be forced to continue his case and be returned to Juarez. Even though an attorney serving as friend of the court offered to buy his ticket to El Salvador. "You can't hold him as a hostage," said the attorney, Nancy Oretskin. 7/
The DHS reasoning was that by dropping his case, Elmer would be taken out of MPP and might no longer have the legal right to be in Mexico. Judge Nathan Herbert granted Elmer's request, ended his case and allowed him to return to El Salvador. 8/
The DHS attorney told Herbert "headquarters" told him to appeal the decision. That meant Elmer would be turned over to ICE to be held in custody in the US for weeks or months while the appeal was heard. For a guy who wanted to go back to El Salvador to take care of a sick kid. 9/
Herbert took a recess to research the law. During recess, the DHS attorney conferred with his bosses and offered Elmer a compromise. Delay his case until July. If he could prove by then he was back in El Savador, DHS would drop his case. Elmer accepted and Herbert signed off. 10/
Judge Herbert wrapped up today's hearings with one word. "Wow." 11/
