FORIMMEDIATERELEASE
June4,2024|1Ak’ab’al
Contact:LorenaBrady,lorena@mayanleague.org(571)305-2801
Biden’sProclamationaBetrayaltoIndigenousPeoplesSeekingRefuge andSafety
Piscataway Nation Territory (Washington, D.C.): The International Mayan League (Mayan League) condemns President Biden’s extremist executive actions aiming to prohibit asylum. These actions contradict Pres. Biden’s commitment to rebuild the asylum system, violate the Refugee Convention, and will not deter migration. His AdministrationandCongresscontinueto fail in fixing a severely broken immigrationsystemandaddressingthesystemicrootdriversthat forceourpeoplesandcommunitiestofleeinthefirstplace.
These egregious political actions are deeply personal. For Mayan Leagueleadershipandseveral members of ourteam, asylumprotectionsaffordedthemtherighttolife,safety,andsecurity We know from our lived experiences and our daily work with the children and grandchildren of survivors of the war and genocide in Iximulew (Guatemala), that subjecting Indigenous asylum seekers to a higher threshold to prove their credible fear and eligibility for asylum is a non-starter. Indigenous Peoples oftenspeaklimitedSpanish,arediscriminatedagainstsimplyfor being Indigenous, thus the expectation that they will pass the “shout test” is unacceptable. This will result in thousands of Indigenous refugees being returned to danger, persecution and even death.
“More than 500yearshavepassedsincethearrivalofthefirstEuropeanstothesesacredlandsof Turtle Island and this continent of Abiayala (the Americas), where many Indigenous Peoples already lived. Today, the U.S. government makes its own laws ignoring that their ancestors entered these lands without asylum, without visas, without the permission of those who were already ontheselands,”saidNanaTeresaoftheMayaMamNationandfoundingBoardMember of the International Mayan League. “Now the Original Peoples of theselandsareforcedbackto their lands, where colonial governments, laws and systems violate their human rights. The modern laws and systems that exist today are directly against the human rights of Indigenous Peoples. But we must not forget that today, treaties, conventions, declarations also exist that safeguard and uphold the rights of Indigenous Peoples, including our right to migrate. We, like so many others, are being forced to flee war, natural disasters, persecution and criminalization. Our Peoples are searching for a place to live, for survival.Butunfortunately,today,throughthis Executive Order, we are seeing an initiative of death. These policies donothaveasenseoflove oflifeorhumanity,muchlesstheloveofMotherEarth.”
We must Protect and Advance the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples Migrating to the U.S. as is detailed in a resolution put forth by our North Native relatives of the National Congress of American Indians in 2019; and presented before the White House Family Reunification Task Force,andinvariousotherpolicyrecommendations.Inparticularwehighlight:
a. The establishment of an Indigenous Peoples Commission in coordination and collaboration with Native American, Maya, and other Indigenous experts to lead processesandprotocolsrootedinanIndigenousHumanRightsFramework;
b. Congressional oversight and transparency from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)topreventfuturedeathsandkillingsatU.S.borders;
c. Funding for the development of Indigenous language resources,requiredtrainingsforall DHS, Department of Justice (DOJ), and Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)personnelonIndigenousPeoples’humanrightsinsteadofbordermilitarization.
As Indigenous refugees and asylum seekers, we are humans too. Recognizing our inherent interconnectedness and rooting our actions in welcome and dignity will support our collective wellbeingandMotherEarth.
WEMUST#SAVEASYLUMNOW
AbouttheInternationalMayanLeague
The International MayanLeagueistheonlyMayawomenandyouth-led,grassrootsMayaorganizationin the United States working with allies and is located in Piscataway Nation Territory (Washington, DC) We were founded in 1991 by Maya refugees fleeing the war and genocideinGuatemalawithalliesfrom the Sanctuary Movement Our purpose is to unite Maya peoples and allies in the United States (US), educate on the root causes of forced migration, offer a platform to advance and protectthehumanrights of the Maya people, and assist in the inclusion of Maya leadersandotherIndigenouspeoplesindecision makingspacesthataffectourpeoples,communities,andfutures;inparticular,theMayadiaspora