{"id":2261,"date":"2020-05-22T10:58:59","date_gmt":"2020-05-22T15:58:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rhizomecenter.org\/?p=2261"},"modified":"2020-05-27T18:21:23","modified_gmt":"2020-05-27T23:21:23","slug":"impact-of-ongoing-deportations-and-expulsions-during-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rhizomecenter.org\/es\/2020\/05\/impact-of-ongoing-deportations-and-expulsions-during-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Joint Statement: U.S. And Mexico Must Urgently Address Impact of Ongoing Deportations and Expulsions During COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"

Binational Joint Statement <\/strong><\/h4>\n

Click haga clic en este enlace<\/a><\/span> to view this statement in Spanish.<\/em><\/p>\n

As organizations representing civil society in the region, we object to and are alarmed by the offensive public health risk created by ongoing U.S. deportations and expulsions amid a global health crisis. We urgently call on the Trump and Lopez Obrador administrations to cease exacerbating the vulnerabilities of migrants<\/strong> and to work towards constructing an environment that is safe for all inhabitants of the North American region.<\/span><\/p>\n

The United States, currently the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, has been unable to control the introduction and spread of COVID-19 in already <\/span>overcrowded and unsanitary detention facilities<\/a><\/span>. COVID-19 continues to spread rapidly inside U.S. immigrant detention centers, where close to 27,000 people are currently detained. As of May 22<\/span>, 2020, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) <\/span>reported<\/a><\/span> 1,201 detainees, and <\/span>44<\/span>\u00a0ICE employees at detention facilities, tested positive; and on May 6, ICE confirmed the first known <\/span>COVID-19 death<\/a><\/span> of a detained immigrant. On May 10, a former detainee died <\/span>shortly after being released<\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The potential spread of the highly contagious and deadly virus has not deterred U.S. deportations and expulsions<\/strong> of foreign nationals from or to COVID-19 hot spots. In April, after Mexico declared a public health emergency, the United States <\/span>turned around<\/a><\/span> close to 15,000 individuals including non-Mexicans mostly to Mexican territory, and deported others from detention centers with known <\/span>outbreaks<\/a><\/span>. An overwhelming number of U.S. detainees were <\/span>not tested for COVID-19<\/a><\/span> before their deportation or expulsion, and there are reports of U.S. deportees later testing positive back in their country of origin.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Though Mexico bears the burden of receiving the majority of U.S. deportations and expulsions, Mexico has <\/strong><\/span>struggled<\/a><\/strong><\/span> to respond to and even quantify the scope of the pandemic<\/strong>, due to a lack of resources, supplies, infrastructure, and reporting health mechanisms. Tijuana, Mexicali, Ciudad Ju\u00e1rez, and Mexico City\u2014cities where migrants are being deported or expelled\u2014are <\/span>emerging hot spots<\/a><\/span>, where an increasing number of cases have been confirmed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Deportations and forced turnbacks at the U.S.-Mexico border<\/b><\/h4>\n

Despite appeals by civil society organizations<\/a><\/span> and human rights groups on both sides of the border, deportations and expulsions at the U.S.-Mexico border have not ceased and, in fact, ICE announced<\/a><\/span> on May 19, 2020, that interior repatriation flights<\/a> will resume after suspending the program on March 19. During the pandemic, U.S. land deportations and expulsions now occur during expanded hours<\/a><\/span>, ignoring previous measures put in place to protect migrants arriving at dangerous Mexican border towns. Nearly all solicitantes de asilo<\/a><\/span> and migrants, including unaccompanied minors<\/a><\/span>, who attempt to cross anywhere along the U.S. border are now subject to swift expulsions under Title 42<\/a><\/span>. The expulsions are conducted by U.S. border agents in blatant violation of international human rights law and in total disregard for child protection measures<\/a><\/span><\/strong> set out in the Trafficking Victims Reauthorization Act (TVPRA). The United States\u2019 focus on fast-tracked turnarounds has resulted in countless expulsions without prior notification<\/a><\/span> to Mexican officials, who cannot provide COVID-19 screening in those cases.<\/p>\n

ICE, by its own account, performs only a visual screening and temperature check<\/a><\/span> before a person is deported or expelled\u2014a measure the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has stated is ineffective for testing COVID-19. It has denied receiving countries\u2019 requests<\/a><\/span> that U.S. deportations be suspended, and states have been warned that they will face visa sanctions<\/a><\/span> if they refuse their own nationals. These conditions imposed by the United States have created an unacceptable public health risk<\/strong> that has alarmed Caribbean and Latin American<\/a><\/span> countries, including Mexico, who have been forced to receive cases of asymptomatic carriers who later tested positive<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Failure to protect vulnerable Mexicans upon arrival\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n

On the Mexican side, persons deported from the United States report inadequate screening at ports of entry by health officials, who perform, if at all, a mere temperature check. There is no strict requirement that persons deported or turned around be tested for COVID-19, isolate, or be given a face mask, though Mexican cities and states along the border have made it mandatory. A lack of federal resources or comprehensive and uniform protocol have contributed to meek efforts at the border to control the spread of the highly contagious virus.<\/strong> The combined insufficient and ineffective detection and control measures implemented by both countries has resulted in U.S. deportees being linked to <\/span>outbreaks at migrant shelters<\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The repatriation of Mexicans, including persons separated from their families, mothers who have recently given birth, persons with serious physical disabilities and injuries, and U.S. veterans, poses particular challenges during the pandemic which have not been considered or prioritized in public policies. Once in Mexican territory, deported individuals face <\/span>limited shelter options<\/a><\/span>, homelessness in many cases, <\/span>insecurity<\/span><\/a><\/span>, distress, xenophobia, an <\/span>unresponsive healthcare system<\/a><\/span>, and a crashing economy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019m going crazy with despair.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The mass closure of government offices and <\/span>suspension of services<\/a><\/span> required by deported Mexicans to access identity documents has left a significant portion of Mexican society without social protection during one of the most widespread pandemics in history. The Mexican government\u2019s failure to consider and include deported Mexican nationals in Mexican policy and health decisions has left these individuals without access to work, government benefits, or services of any kind.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Recommendations<\/b><\/h4>\n

COVID-19 is a global health crisis that requires responsible public health responses, in addition to increased government efforts to ensure the health, safety, and social inclusion of Mexicans deported or expelled from the United States during the pandemic. Due to their proximity and heavy traffic between the two countries, the United States and Mexico must coordinate efforts to maintain the safety of the region<\/strong>.<\/span>
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\n<\/span>While the epicenter of the pandemic remains in the Western Hemisphere, we urge the Trump and Lopez Obrador administrations to protect the lives and well-being of North Americans by taking the following actions:<\/span>
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\n<\/span>United States<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n