THE?
THE REMAIN IN MEXICO POLICY
MAKES ASYLUM SEEKERS WAIT FOR
THEIR U.S. IMMIGRATION HEARING
ON THE MEXICAN SIDE OF THE
BORDER.
THIS IS A POLICY PRESIDENT JOE
BIDEN ENDED ON HIS FIRST DAY IN
OFFICE AND NOW HIS
ADMINISTRATION FACES LEGAL
CHALLENGES AFTER BEING SUED BY
TEXAS AND MISSOURI FOR REMOVING
IT HERE TO DISCUSS THIS
POTENTIAL IMPACT ARE SUSAN
GZESH, AND HELL LANE THAT OLEA,
A DIRECTOR FOR ALIANZA AMERICAS
IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE
REGIONAL PRESIDENT OF CENTRAL
AMERICA.
BIDEN ORIGINALLY DECLARED THIS
TRUMP IRA POLICY AS INHUMANE.
WALK US THROUGH BRIEFLY, IF YOU
CAN, WHY HE'S RESUMING IT.
>> WELL, HE'S NOT RESUMING IT
EXACTLY VOLLEY.
A DISTRICT COURT IN TEXAS IS IN
AN UNUSUAL LOOP.
>> THEY ORDERED THAT THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION REINSTATE THIS
AND THE DISTRICT COURT UPHELD
THE SUPREME COURT ORDER SO THE
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HAS TO REI
STATE IN GOOD FAITH IS WHAT THE
TERMS OF THE ORDER ARE BUT
THERE'S ALSO ALMOST A PING-PONG
MATCH GOING ON ACROSS THE BOARD
WE ARE MEXICO.
BECAUSE IT REALLY IS A PIECE OF
FOREIGN POLICY.
>> ABSOLUTELY, HELENA OLEA, YOU
HAVE VISITED.
WHAT IMPACT HAVE YOU SEEN THIS
HAVE ON THE LIVES OF MIGRANTS AT
THE BORDER?
>> WELL, SOCIAL SERVICES, THE
MVP CREATES REFUGEES CABS IN
MEXICO FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE
SEEKING PROTECTION IN THE U.S.
AND SENT BACK TO WORK IN MEXICO.
THESE CONDITIONS ARE NOT SAFE
CONDITIONS.
THERE HAS BEEN A NUMBER OF
REPORTS INDICATING THE NUMBER OF
INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE KILLED, AND
WOMEN WHO ARE RAPED IF THEY ARE
WAITING AT THE OTHER SIDE OF THE
BORDER, LIVING IN UNSANITARY,
UNSATISFY CONDITIONS.
SO THERE IS NO REASON WHY --
UNSAFE CONDITIONS.
>> THIS POLICY HINGES ON THE
APPROVAL OF THE MEXICAN
GOVERNMENT, SUSAN, WHAT CAN YOU
TELL US RIGHT NOW ABOUT THE
STATE OF THE MEXICO/U.S.
RELATIONS?
>> WELL, WE SAW DURING THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION THAT FOLKS WAS
WILLING TO DO PRETTY MUCH
ANYTHING THE U.S. ASKED UNDER
THE THREAT OF ECONOMIC
SANCTIONS.
WE'RE NOT EXACTLY SURE FROM THIS
SIDE WHAT'S GOING ON THERE BUT
I'VE SPOKEN WITH MEXICAN
COLLEAGUES WHO ARE MIGRANT
REFUGEE ADVOCATES AND THEY ARE
FILED A LAWSUIT URGING THE
MEXICO GOVERNMENT NOT TO
COOPERATE.
MEXICO SAID ITS COOPERATION IS
BASED ON THE IDEA THAT PEOPLE,
IF THEY'RE ALLOWED TO COME BACK
TO MEXICO, THAT THEY WILL HAVE
COUNSEL REPRESENTING THEM IN THE
HEARINGS IN THE THE U.S.
SO THEY'RE TRYING TO MAKE A PLAY
FOR SOME KIND OF DECENCY IN THE
WAY THESE ASYLUM SEEKERS ARE
TREATED.
BUT A LIST OF ABOUT 83 U.S.
LEGAL SERVICES ORGANIZATIONS
HAVE TOLD THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION THAT THEY'RE NOT
GOING TO COOPERATE AND PROVIDE
COUNSEL TO PEOPLE.
LAWYERS WERE IN AS MUCH DANGER
ALMOST AS THE MIGRANTS IN THESE
UNREGULATED INFORMAL CAMPS ON
THE MEXICO'S SIDE OF THE BORDER
FOR THEM TO MEET WITH CLIENTS
AND TALK TO THEM ABOUT THEIR
CASES.
DUE PROCESS IS NON-EXIST PENALTY
AND FOR A TEXAS DISTRICT COURT
JUDGE TO BASICALLY ORDER THE
MEXICO GOVERNMENT TO DO
SOMETHING IS OFFENSIVE TO
MEXICO'S SOVEREIGNTY.
SO THE ADVOCACY COMMUNITY WITHIN
MEXICO IS TRYING TO ASSIGN THEIR
OWN GOVERNMENT AND SAY THAT
WE'RE NOT GOING TO COOPERATE
BECAUSE OF OUTRAGE OF
INTERNATIONAL LAW.
IT'S NICE TO KNOW THEIR EFFORTS
ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BORDER ARE
TESTING THE LACK OF FUNDAMENTAL
DECENCY AND ILLEGALITY OF WHAT
THE MVP PROGRAM ACTUALLY IS.
>> AND HELENA, HOW DOES THIS
POLICY AFFECT THE LIKELIHOOD OF
ASYLUM SEEKERS HAVING THEIR
CASES HEARD IN THE U.S. IF THIS
IS REIMPLEMENTED?
>> WELL, WE HAVE SEEN IN THE
PAST THAT THE POLICY CREATES ALL
TYPE OF VIOLATIONS TO DUE
PROCESS RIGHTS IF THEY ARE ABLE
TO FIND COUNSEL AND RECEIVE THE
PSYCHOLOGICAL THERAPY AND
TREATMENT THAT THEY NEED, THEY
ARE NOT ABLE TO.
IN MANY CASES THEY ARE DENIED
FUNDAMENTALS.
SINCE THE POLICIES HAVE BEEN
REIMPLEMENTED WE CAN FORESEE
THAT THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE
LEGAL REPRESENTATION, THAT
THERE'S GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW,
UNDERMIND THE BASIC RIGHTS OF
THOSE WAITING AND AND THEN
THEY WILL BE ABLE TO DIVE INTO
THE PROCESS AND AVOID THE
VIOLENCE AND --
[ INDISCERNIBLE ]
LESS THAN 1% AND THOSE ARE THE
STATISTICS OF THE PROBLEM THAT
WE'VE BEEN RUNNING INTO IN THE
PAST.
THIS IS NO ASYLUM PROGRAM.
>> SOME PRETTY HORRIBLE
CONDITIONS AND OBVIOUSLY SOUNDS
LIKE DIMINISHES CHANCES.
WHAT CHANGES IN POLICY ARE
NEEDED IN ORDER TO ADDRESS THE
CONCERNS OF THE IMMIGRATION
LAWYERS AND ADVOCATES?
>> AND THE REFUGEES REALLY, THE
MOST IMPORTANT.
BUT DURING THE PERIOD WHEN THE
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION WAS
STARTING TO DISMANTLE THE
PROGRAM, THEY WERE ALLOWING -- I
THINK IT'S UP TO 11,000 PEOPLE
WHO HAD BEEN PART OF 68,000
PEOPLE TO ALSO REMAIN IN MEXICO
PROCEED INTO THE UNITED STATES
UNDER CRIMINAL STATUS AND SOME
OF THEM COME TO CHICAGO FOR
EXAMPLE, THE NATIONAL JUSTICE
CENTER, THAT ARE REPRESENTING
THEM, SO THAT THEY CAN HAVE FULL
AND FAIR HEARINGS ON THEIR
ASYLUM BOOK.
SO THERE'S A WAY TO TEST PEOPLE
FOR COVID AT THE BORDER AND A
WAY TO MONITOR THEM COMING IN.
AND WHAT COMPARABLE HARM THE
STATES OF TEXAS AND MISSOURI CAN
BE PLEADING THAT COMPARES AT ALL
TO THE HARM SUFFERED BY THESE
FAMILIES?
I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS
IN THE MIND OF THE JUDGE WHO
ISSUED THAT ORDER.