Global Courant 2023-05-12 02:36:26
San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
In a virtual appearance, the United States ambassador to Honduras, Laura Dogureferred to the end of title 42 of the Migration Law of that country, whose effects will affect thousands of Honduran families.
Title 42 is a health provision activated under the administration of the former Republican president donald trump to “contain the pandemic” of the covid-19 and that in practice allows the automatic expulsion of almost all immigrants who arrive without a visa or documentation necessary to enter the USA.
Based on this precept, the United States invoked said law at least 2.8 million times and tens of thousands of cases of deportation were Hondurans. Basically, the law implemented during the administration of donald trump, allowed the United States to deport immigrants “hot” arguing that the escalation of the pandemic would create endless chaos in that country. This left thousands of Hondurans without the possibility of requesting asylum or resorting to another instance that the law eliminated.
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Hondurans decide, every day, to migrate, especially to the United States, according to data from the Observatory of International Migration of Honduras (OMIH). They arrive at the border between Mexico and the United States and, in many cases, request asylum, but it is rarely approved.
Dogu remarked that, contrary to what was believed when the end of the law was announced, that the anti-immigration measures on the land border with Mexico will be hardened with vigilance and denying asylum and other immigration options to thousands of Hondurans and migrants of other nationalities.
He urged Hondurans not to risk their lives and those of their families and stressed that traveling with minors will not make Migration consider cases covered by old resources. “There has been a lot of talk about changes to something called Title 42, a regulation of the US law that we use during the pandemic; this has caused a lot of confusion”, argued Laura Dogu.
The diplomat assured that “people will continue to be expelled, the change is not only the reason for the expulsion; but without a doubt, the expulsions of people without documents will continue. That is to say, that the borders of the United States are not open and the end of Title 42 does not mean that they can go without permission, ”she stressed.
In her speech, the US government official reminded Hondurans about the expansion of the family reunification program, but clarified that those who wish to do so should not go to the border between Mexico and the United States, and do it from there.
The DDepartment of Homeland Security will create new permit processes to achieve the reunion of families from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Colombia. Once finalized, it will allow validated persons with approved petitions based on family reasons to enter the United States with this permit.
“The United States will commit to receiving thousands of refugees each month from various countries here in the hemisphere. It will aim to double the number of refugees the United States accepts,” said Ambassador Laura Dogu.
What will happen when Title 42 expires?
By eliminating Title 42, with the official announcement of the end of the covid-19 health emergency in the United States, US authorities are preparing for a possible influx of migrants attempting to cross the US-Mexico border illegally one once Title 42 expires. Daily arrivals are expected to exceed 10,000 once the policy expires.
The United States plans to resume its policy of reviewing asylum claims and deporting those who do not meet the requirements.
In addition, they have implemented new measures to speed up the process, including reviewing applications within 24 hours and deportation in a matter of days or weeks. Those who cross illegally and are deported could face a ban from entering the United States for a minimum of five years and may not be eligible to apply for asylum.
The main legal route to request asylum in the US available to people arriving at the border will be through the CBP One mobile application, which allows immigrants to make appointments with the authorities to present their cases. The North American country will offer some 1,000 daily appointments to request asylum through this procedure, a figure that, according to public officials, may increase “depending on the capacity” of the migration service workers.
Those who do not take advantage of this process and decide to cross the border irregularly will be declared ineligible to request asylum in the US, unless they have previously been denied in a third country or demonstrate that they have encountered technological or language barriers to access. to the application. To implement these measures, the Biden Executive has decided to increase the staff of immigration agencies, with more than 24,000 officials, and deploy 1,500 soldiers on the border.
Consequences
Migration and human rights experts have harshly criticized the measures taken by the Democratic government, assuring that they are a continuation of Trump’s policies and warning that they will expose migrants to situations of greater risk. The new policies “will fuel human trafficking, enrich the cartels” and cause even more deaths at the border as people will be forced to head for “more dangerous border crossings,” Ari Sawyer, who investigates the border, told EFE. for the organization Human Rights Watch (HRW).
The measures, in addition, “will result in a violation of the US legal obligation not to return refugees to situations of persecution or torture,” Sawyer said.
The rule that allows immediate expulsions from the US due to the pandemic will be suspended this Friday. For his part, the director of Asylum Policy of the International Rescue Committee, Kennji Kizuka, pointed out that the situation of people who are deported to northern Mexico is especially worrying.
“Humanitarian needs in northern Mexico are likely to increase as services, including shelters, are at capacity in many places,” Kizuka stressed. The Biden Administration, the expert assured, has the opportunity to “restore access to asylum at the border”: “The use of a defective and inaccessible mobile application should not be a requirement to exercise the right to asylum,” he sentenced. EFE
