#HumanRights #4RightsatBorders #GrassrootsOrganizing #Solidarity #MigrantRights Dear Friends and Colleagues, Nearly 75 years have passed since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a moment when states agreed to recognize the dignity of each person regardless of their race, religion, gender, nationality, or status. While this day is a celebration of a pivotal moment for human rights, it is also an opportunity for us to call attention to the policies and practices refuting the commitments made by all governments on this date. Today, an estimated 281 million people, approximately 3.6% of the world’s population, currently reside outside their country of origin. An increasing number of people are forced to leave their homes due to violence, extreme poverty, climate disasters, or persecution. Overwhelmingly, these migrations are contained through military repression at borders and migration corridors. Upon arrival at our border, they encounter discriminatory and criminalizing policies, including denial of human and civil rights, lack of due process, arbitrary detention, abuse, and systematically denied access to emergency services. On this International Human Rights Day, NNIRR expresses growing alarm at our government’s failure to protect the rights of all migrants and refugees at the U.S.-Mexico border. Our timely Spotlight Report on the Borderlands and related map documents how militarized migration management has led to thousands of preventable deaths and disappearances on the U.S. side of the border and created an environment where systematic violations are permitted and entire communities are dehumanized. Our report also provides a roadmap to addressing and eliminating our inherently racist and xenophobic policies that perpetuate harm and suffering among migrants, asylum seekers, and border communities. We urge you, our friends and colleagues, on this International Human Rights Day to demand the Biden administration and Congress take bold action and implement rights-sensitive immigration and border policies. Sign our pledge and commit to advocating for policies that are rights-centered, dignity-affirming, and safe. |
