The @DHSgov justification for turning away asylum seekers at the US-MX border is ludicrous. First of all, asylum seekers do not "need" to be held in congregate settings, and in fact should generally not be detained, per international law the US has signed. foreignaffairs.house.gov/_cache/files/1…
That goes especially for the unaccompanied children border agents have been expelling with no screening for fear of return to their country of origin or due process. More than 90 percent of asylum seekers have family or friends in the US with whom they could shelter in place.
The fact that border agents are now quickly processing folks and recording biometric information prior to expulsion demonstrates that they could rapidly process asylum seekers and work with civil society orgs along the border to keep folks out of congregate settings.
This policy is based on a false premise. And of course that's no surprise given what we know about the Trump administration's efforts to eviscerate asylum. This policy was never about public health. There is no border closure. People continue to travel back and forth every day.
Are you listening @CDCDirector? You are complicit in violating both US and international asylum law and returning refugees, including unaccompanied kids, to their abusers, the result of which can be deadly.
Probably the most important point is that the right to seek asylum is a non-derogable right, meaning even in times of crisis, emergency, pandemic, whatever, governments are obligated to ensure asylum seekers are not returned to possible harm. No law supersedes that right.
