All those who have been subject to the Trump Admin’s roster of anti-immigrant policies are in a vulnerable position. From those in detention to those living under MPP.
Here’s how...
The public charge rule will continue to deter millions of noncitizens from seeking medical care of any kind. Putting thousands at risk.
Under MPP 60,000 asylum-seekers have been sent back to Mexico, where many have been forced into squalid, overcrowded tent encampments with no running water.
What measures have been taken to stop the spread of disease there? Will our gov’t look away from a problem they created?
@TRACReports estimated that between 80,000 & 94,000 court hearings were canceled as a result of last year’s gov’t shutdown.
If this were to happen again under #COVD19 how would immigration courts notify homeless refugees under #MPP living in makeshift camps?
According to The NY Times, “more than 100,000 people across more than 80 countries have been infected with the new virus”
This is a GLOBAL issue.
A wall or a closed border was never going to solve the problem.
And last but not least: Immigration detention conditions are already poor. A coronavirus outbreak could be a disaster. dailykos.com/story/2020/3/9…
Neither DHS, ICE or EOIR have provided any sort of contingency plan that would help reduce exposure to detained immigrants, their families, gov staff, judges, or jail staff. edition.cnn.com/2020/03/09/pol…
“We know there have been cases of medical negligence, of lack of access or reduced access to care, we’ve heard stories about a lack of basic hygiene measures so, no soap, no hand sanitizer.” - Dr Ranit Mishori, Physicians for Human Rights theguardian.com/world/2020/mar…
Our attorneys are extremely concerned for the health and well being of our clients held at Karnes & Pearsall Detention Centers in Texas right now.
At Karnes there are families with children and those at Pearsall are trans women with HIV.
We are working with at least 6 children w/cold/cough/flu symptoms w/several families complaining of inadequate testing and/or treatment.
We’re currently aware of 4 pregnant women & 14 babies under 2 years old detained at Karnes.
Let’s make this clear: Their lives are in danger.
Quick recap:
- Immigration officials have refused to give detained kids & families flu shots in the past
- There was a mumps outbreak in detention centers between Sept‘18 - Aug‘19
- Clean water & soap are NOT guaranteed in detention
- Dangerous overcrowding in facilities
...etc.
Let’s make this clear: It is much more likely that outsiders will bring #COVID19 INTO detention centers. And under the aftermentioned conditions ^ that would result in a humanitarian disaster.🚨
We continue our call to #FreeThemALL 🗣 alongside many other orgs.
Since 2014, RAICES has represented thousands of people, including children inside the Karnes Detention Center. It’s often touted as a “model” facility by the US government.
There is nothing “model” about it. It is a prison, rife with violence and systemic abuse. #immigration
The RAICES Family Detention Services team was able to obtain an unprecedented amount of information about the migration experiences of adult women detained at Karnes.
❌ At least 633 out of approximately 1,900 women detained reported experiencing mistreatment while in custody.
❌ 839 women reported that they were separated from family members.
❌ There has never been a full-time pediatrician at Karnes, nor is there obstetrics care available.
Our hearts are with the people of #Ukraine and everyone impacted by Russian aggression. War serves only to create death and destruction, and will lead to a humanitarian crisis and the mass displacement of millions of people.
This is not new: we have witnessed how devastating war and conflict can be in places like Haiti and Afghanistan. The US must be ready to respond immediately, and welcome all those who are forced to flee their homes.
Although @POTUS mentioned a vague reference to providing humanitarian aid to the people of Ukraine in his speech yesterday, nothing he said was concrete.
Last week was the Black Immigrant Advocacy Day of Action! We joined in celebrating the leadership of Black immigrants in the work to expose + eradicate racism in the immigration system. But fighting for Black Immigrants isn't just a one time event. Here's what we can STILL DO: 👇🏽
Support + follow Black immigrant-led immigrants rights organizations, including:
We are absolutely disgusted by the Biden Administration's decision to deport thousands of Haitians one month after the devastating earthquake and storm that resulted in 2,200 deaths and displaced hundreds of thousands of people. 🧵👇🏾
Families who lost everything to the 7.2 magnitude earthquake are now living through flash floods and mudslides. The destruction is large-scale and unprecedented, worsening Haiti’s already unstable political and social infrastructure.
Haiti is one of the most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change – and we can expect climate disasters to continue to devastate the nation in the years to come.
The Senate parliamentarian just recommended that a path to citizenship for Dreamers, TPS holders, and Essential Workers should not be included in the budget reconciliation bill. We are disappointed to hear the news, but we know that this fight is far from over. 🧵👇🏾
We have spent decades fighting for a path to legalization for all undocumented immigrants in this country. We are not giving up now. Democrats in Congress can still keep their promise, without compromising on increased enforcement.
We expect them to use all the tools to get this done. They can do the following:
✅Dems can rework the legalization language and resubmit to the Parliamentarian;
✅Vice President Harris can overrule the parliamentarian;
We are extremely disappointed in the Biden Administration's decision to appeal the federal court ruling that would block #Title42. @POTUS has a moral obligation to stop using T42 to harm families and children seeking asylum.
It is immoral and inhumane.
Here's our statement:
We at RAICES have a front row seat to the horrors of Title 42. Our clients are stuck in Mexico. Families fleeing violence are turned away. U.S. and international Asylum law is flouted.