Unaccompanied children comprise one of the world’s most vulnerable groups. Their age, developmental stage, and trauma history present obstacles to navigating the complex U.S. immigration system and accessing potentially life-saving relief. The Department of Homeland Security must cease these expulsions and treat arriving children in full conformity with legal requirements.
Deportations from the United States Are Spreading COVID-19 to Guatemala, Placing Many at Risk
Statement from Refugees International Advocate for Latin America Rachel Schmidtke in response to the Guatemalan Health Minister’s statement today that 75 percent of deportees arriving on a flight from the United States tested positive for COVID-19
Coronavirus Exacerbates Dangers for Migrants in Mexican Detention
Many of the most vulnerable in Mexico are at higher risk of exposure to the coronavirus because of their living conditions. This is especially true for those detained in migration stations in Mexico.
The End of Asylum? The New COVID-19 Border Rules
Refugees International’s Yael Schacher joined the Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility to discuss asylum at the U.S-Mexico border in the time of COVID-19.
U.S. Government Must Extend Visa Validity for Immigrants and Refugees During COVID-19
Refugees International joins more than 100 advocacy organizations in calling on the U.S. government to extend the validity of visas that will expire before the COVID-19 pandemic ends.
States Across the Americas Must Guarantee the Lives and Right to Health of Migrants and Refugees in the Face of the COVID-19 Crisis
Over the past few weeks, we have seen how the measures implemented by governments calling for quarantines, shut downs, deportations, border closures and militarization to address the emergency caused by the spread of COVID-19 are disproportionately affecting migrants and petitioners for international protections.
The Hill: The U.S. Is Making Forced Displacement Worse in Guatemala
U.S. policies are fueling a vicious feedback loop of danger and vulnerability for Guatemalans and other asylum seekers.
Washington Post: Coronavirus Can’t be an Excuse to Continue President Trump’s Assault on Asylum Seekers
Using COVID-19 as a cover, the administration is making its most overt move yet to eliminate the right to seek asylum in the United States.
Statement by Refugees International on the Closure of the Southern and Northern Borders to Non-essential Travel
Statement by Refugees International on the closure of the southern and northern borders to non-essential travel.
Responding to the COVID-19 Crisis While Protecting Asylum Seekers
Together with five other organizations, Refugees International calls on the Trump Administration to cease its reported plan to shut the border to people seeking asylum in the United States in response to COVID-19. Rather, there are concrete steps to take driven by science and public-health expertise to protect asylum seekers while stemming the pandemic.