The news cycle has been spinning out of control since January 20. The shock and awe tactic intends to destabilize and demoralize the opposition. Here we focus on the barrage of Executive Orders (EO) signed by our new President that affect migrants in the United States and abroad. We assess the impact they are having and what we can do to better protect our friends and neighbors who fear being deported.
Framing immigration through the US-Mexico border as an "invasion", as two of the EOs signed on inauguration day suggest, is founded in a conspiracy theory that fuels the new Administration's anti-immigrant narrative. These aim at dehumanizing and criminalizing migrants while making it seem as though fundamental human rights do not apply. The Administration immediately suspended the right to seek asylum with the cancelation of the CBP One app, which, while imperfect, was the only means people escaping violence and persecution had to enter the US. They also froze disbursement of federal grants to organizations providing essential services to refugees already in the United States.
That same day, the new Administration ended the CNHV Parole Program without indicating how this measure will affect people who have already submitted applications or are in process. This program allowed over 530,000 Cubans, Haitian, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans with US-based sponsors to start a new life in the United States. Quixote Center and partner organizations lobbied the previous Administration to extend this protection to no avail.
At the same time, ICE was ordered to initiate deportation flights of undocumented immigrants, once again deceiving the public claiming they were going after violent criminals when, in reality, 48% of deportees had not committed such crimes. This show of force was on full display as the Administration released images of shackled immigrants boarding military planes. The images caused international outrage and some foreign officials denounced the humiliating and disgraceful treatment of their citizens. During the diplomatic tension with the US, Colombia's president posted: "A migrant is not a criminal and must be treated with the dignity that every human being deserves." The data behind these shocking images tell a very different story and nothing close to "mass deportation". In fact, the number of people being deported is slightly lower than at the same time last year. In other words, the images are part of a scheme to terrorize migrant communities throughout the country so that they will self-deport.
Although the numbers of people being deported are nothing close to a "mass deportation" we are still in the early days of this new Administration, and they are paving the ground for the long run. This includes making deals with other governments to receive deportees from third countries, particularly Venezuelans and Cubans. Our partners in Panama are reporting caravans of deportees, mostly from Venezuela, coming through Costa Rica. Panamanian authorities then detain them at a "reception center" before sending them to the Darien to board deportation flights. While the number of migrants heading north through the Darien has dropped by more than 90%, they are experiencing an increase in deportees who want to return to their country of origin. Many are taking alternate routes to avoid the checkpoints, a situation ripe for cartels to exploit.
We can expect a fight. Business lobbyists are leading the charge to protect their workforce and the US economy. Cities, schools, places of worship and civil society have also been successful in frustrating ICE efforts to apprehend and deport undocumented migrants by spreading rapid response tool kits far and wide so that we all know our rights and how to act if ICE comes knocking on our door. It is common that ICE officials attempt to enter premises without warrants signed by a judge, trying to take advantage of people unaware of the civil protections granted under the US Constitution. Although ICE arrests have increased since January 20th, they have been unable to meet their objectives so far.
Judges have also intervened to temporarily block anti-immigrant Executive Orders, and organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) hold the new administration accountable for their unconstitutional actions. For instance, ACLU is suing the government's fast-track deportation policy that strips peoples' right for a fair legal process. They also filed a lawsuit against this administration for completely shutting down asylum at the border. Meanwhile, faith-based organizations filed a lawsuit against the Administration's rescission of the Sensitive Locations memo and are circulating a petition we encourage everyone to sign. We are in the early days of this new Administration and the court battles are just beginning. The reason we have the current system is because people with power benefit from it. In our next email we plan to unpack that issue.
We invite each of you to join us in promoting a different vision. Comprehensive immigration reform includes:
- Addressing the root causes of migration so that people do not feel forced to flee;
- A work-visa program that is non-exploitative and allows the private sector to fill vacancies with people from all over the world;
- Restoring the asylum system immediately to protect the most vulnerable communities fleeing violence, discrimination and political persecution.
Quixote Center will continue bringing more visibility on these issues through webinars, social media and this eblast. Congress is being inundated with calls and petitions, and we are figuring out the best strategy for advocacy.
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