Government Records Shed Light on Illegal Expulsions of Asylum Seekers and Children – Human Rights First

Human Rights First has received previously undisclosed records that reveal how the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been carrying out illegal expulsions of asylum seekers and children.

Since March 2020, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at ports of entry and Border Patrol agents have blocked thousands of asylum seekers and unaccompanied children from requesting humanitarian protection at the border and summarily expelled them from the United Statesin violation of U.S. refugee and anti-trafficking laws and treaty obligations. In so doing, DHS has used as a pretext an order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on COVID-19issued over objections of senior CDC officials and pursuant to instructions by Trump administration officials.

A group of leading epidemiologists and public health experts wrote that the order, which was indefinitely extended on May 19 and re-issued with minor modifications on October 13, relies on specious arguments, including false claims about CBP capacity to process asylum seekers, and fails to further public health and disregards alternative measures that can protect public health while preserving access to asylum and other protection.

The documentswhich we received from DHS via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requestdetail the highly concerning practices that have led to illegal expulsions, including:

A highly and intentionally flawed screening process

Forced returns of pregnant asylum seekers and migrants to Mexico

Evasion of U.S. anti-trafficking laws adopted to protect children

In addition, the FOIA results indicate that:

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Government Records Shed Light on Illegal Expulsions of Asylum Seekers and Children - Human Rights First