The deaths of 53 migrants in a smuggler’s semitrailer in San Antonio last month were not an aberration, Jason Buch writes in The Texas Observer. Loss of life is "a feature — not a bug" of the use of deterrence in immigration policy, made official in 1994.
Deterrence is "the idea we can somehow make coming to this country more miserable than the natural disasters, civil wars, gang violence, and economic hardship that displace people in the first place" — and the results are deadly, Buch notes. According to government data that are almost certainly an underestimate, about 7,500 people died trying to reach the U.S. between 1998 and 2018 alone, per Human Rights Watch.
"[T]here is no deterrent practice you will find to stop people from searching for safety. And for the U.S. to create those policies is inhumane and unacceptable," said Guerline Jozef, director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance.
In The New York Times, Miriam Jordan reports on how smuggling migrants has evolved from a "network of freelance ‘coyotes’ into a multi-billion-dollar international business controlled by organized crime, including some of Mexico’s most violent drug cartels." As a result, federal authorities say there has been an increase in migrant kidnappings and extortion across Mexican border cities. At least 5,046 people faced human smuggling charges in the U.S. last year alone, compared with 2,762 in 2014.
Meanwhile, the nonprofit Colibri Center for Human Rights in Arizona is trying to bring closure to families who have lost loved ones along the journey northbound, Julian Resendiz reports in Border Report. Mirza Monterroso, the Missing Migrants Program director at the center, blends forensic skills, language, culture and empathy to support families in need.
Welcome to Tuesday’s edition of The Forum Daily. I’m Dan Gordon, the Forum’s strategic communications VP. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected].
HONDURAS — will be the focus of a meeting today between Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Honduran President Iris Xiomara Castro Sarmiento, per Sandra Sanchez of the Border Report. CBP data show an increase in recent months in apprehensions of Hondurans, most of whom are blocked under Title 42. Mayorkas is also scheduled to speak with U.N. agencies that help migrants and people who are vulnerable.
‘IT HAPPENED SO SUDDENLY’ — Previously routine ICE check-ins are once again resulting in deportations, Kate Morrissey reports in the San Diego Union-Tribune. The change comes after the Supreme Court voted not to lift an injunction blocking the Biden administration’s immigration enforcement guidelines, meant to prioritize deportations of people with criminal backgrounds or who raised national security concerns. "I was thinking a lot about how they were going to separate me from my family," said Eduardo Sanchez, who has no criminal record and was deported following a recent check-in. "It happened so suddenly."
OPPORTUNITIES — Tennessee is the latest of 16 states to pass legislation offering immigrants opportunities to obtain professional licenses and opportunities, reports Liz Gold of The E.W. Scripps Company. "States realized there were a lot of people with different statuses with in-demand skills," said Eric Figueroa of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Meanwhile, in Lincoln, Nebraska, organizations such as the Nebraska Extension and Echo Collective are helping immigrants and refugees thrive while fostering welcome, reports Evelyn Mejia of The Lincoln Journal Star. The Nebraska Extension program is giving immigrants and refugees tools to start small businesses, while Echo Collective is helping refugees and immigrant women overcome barriers they face while rebuilding their lives.
‘BECAUSE OF FOUZIA’ — When his hometown fell to the Taliban, Afghan Sayed Hashmi, who had worked for the U.S. government, had no choice but to flee with his family. In need of support, Hashmi called Jewish Family and Community Services in the San Francisco Bay Area (JFCS) and reached Fouzia Azizi, head of refugee services and an Afghan refugee herself, Diane Winston reports for Religion News Service. "Fouzia gave me the feeling that I’d found my sister," Hashmi said.
"She talked with me for two hours and said everything will be OK." Since the family resettled in October 2021, Fouzia has helped Hashmi find a job and housing. "The U.S. is a difficult place to be a refugee," Hashmi said. "My situation is good because of Fouzia."
- Brazilian Baptists have recently welcomed over 100 evacuees from Afghanistan to Vila Minhya Pátria, "where they receive care, learn skills to prepare them for long-term residence in Brazil, and see the love of Christ in action." (Ken Camp, Baptist Standard)
- Organizations in St. Louis are planning to welcome and resettle an estimated 350 to 1,000 Afghans currently living in Albania, while continuing to support those who have already arrived. (Sydney Stallworth, KSDK)
- In Vermont, multiple school districts are hiring multicultural liaisons who are helping refugee students, supporting their teachers and families, and providing other essential services. (Auditi Guha, VTDigger)
Thanks for reading,
Dan
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