Expulsion of Haitian Asylum Seekers from U.S. to Mexico

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CIUDAD JUAREZ, 4 February, 2021 (TON): Dozens of Haitians were turned back to the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez from EI, Texas, on Wednesday that contradicts the negotiations made by the former U.S. administration with Mexico.

Luis Garcia, a director at the Chihuahua state government agency COESPO in Mexico, responsible for the supervision of the migrants, confirmed the return of dozens of Haitians by U.S. immigration authorities.

“The situation seems somewhat extraordinary for us because they don’t speak Spanish, and it puts them in a situation in which they are increasingly exposed to risk,” Garcia said.

According to the public health law, Title 42, U.S. partially closed its border to asylum seekers. Mexico agreed to allow U.S. authorities to return Guatemalans, Hondurans, and Salvadorans who had previously transited through its territory.

However, the agreement was limited to the three nationalities and Mexicans according to the document published by Mexico’s foreign ministry on 21 March, 2020.

Under Title 42, the United States generally flies migrants of other nationalities back to their country of origin.

More than a dozen Haitian migrants the media had been held by U.S. immigration authorities for three or four days and then returned without any documentation of their expulsion.

“They returned us with nothing, they threw away our clothes and my children’s shoes,” said Johan Decopin, from Haiti, who was returned to Ciudad Juarez on Wednesday with her husband and three children. “We asked for asylum but they told us no.”

Immigrant advocates said on Wednesday, that they had seen more South American and Caribbean migrants being returned to Mexico amid a rise in returns under Title 42 in some regions since Biden took office.

“Up to 140 people are being returned to Baja California each day,” said Esmeralda Siu, coordinator of the Pro-Migrant Defense Coalition, which represents a series of migrant shelters in the Mexican state. “From what we’re seeing they are returning Venezuelans, Colombians, and Peruvians (to Mexico),” she added.

Taylor Levy, an immigration attorney working with clients in El Paso, expressed confusion about the return of the Haitians saying, “This violates the agreements between the U.S. and Mexico as they have been announced by both governments”.

The policies of the previous U.S. administration is readily being reversed by the Biden administration, however, this appears shaky on part of the administrative policies that may not involve abrupt changes.

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