Phone: (202) 827-6673
Email: info@mayanleague.org
www.mayanleague.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 28, 2023 | Jun Ajpu
Contact: Andrea Flores, andrea@mayanleague.org (202) 827-6673
THE U.S. GOVERNMENT’S PLANS TO MANAGE REGIONAL MIGRATION LACK ADEQUATE SAFEGUARDS FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES SEEKING
REFUGE
Piscataway Nation Territory (Washington, D.C.): The International Mayan League, the only Maya women and youth-led organization in the United States, reiterates our opposition to inhumane immigration policies announced by the Biden Administration on April 27th that aim to “manage regional migration.” These measures violate the right to seek asylum and particularly impact Indigenous peoples’ basic human rights to seek safety when fleeing state sponsored violence, forced evictions, femicide, criminalization and persecution The Administration’s announcement, while presenting finite opportunities for some asylum seekers, is a clear indication it will be implementing the heavily opposed asylum ban, in violation of its domestic and international law obligations. It aims to provide “solutions” with the same governments that are violating the rights of our peoples, forcing them to flee in the first place, as in the case of Guatemala.
We acknowledge the Administration’s pursuit of legal pathways to facilitate refugee processing for some. However, the “Regional Processing Centers” are slated to be placed in countries like Colombia and Guatemala. These countries lack the ability to meet the basic needs of their citizens for a dignified life, thus forcing large numbers of asylum seekers to flee due to rampant human rights violations and corruption. These Processing Centers will likely be more of the same, causing confusion and further human rights violations instead of respecting asylum law. For instance, the emphasis on the use of CBP One or any mobile app to schedule an appointment while fleeing, is not only impractical, but will continue to exclude the most vulnerable who don’t speak Spanish, have low literacy levels, and limited access to technology. Asylum requests will become a privilege and no longer a right.
Deterrence policies do not work, a dignified approach to managing the border will not be achieved through mass detention and deportations. It is imperative that detention of family units is prevented. Indigenous refugees face a multitude of barriers, primarily the denial of their Indigenous identity and Indigenous language interpreters at first point of contact with government agents. Much more is needed if our due process rights are to be respected when seeking refuge. As Maya peoples, we have lost enough lives to policies that detain families.
Expedited removal proceedings disproportionately harm Indigenous peoples because of their inability to prove their credible fear due to the aforementioned reasons. Only targeting smuggling, misinformation, and trafficking does not address the root causes of forced migration. An enduring and compassionate solution to forced migration must address the root causes that force our people to flee and seek refuge, and the unique challenges Indigenous peoples face when seeking asylum.
Phone: (202) 827-6673
Email: info@mayanleague.org
www.mayanleague.org
We provide the following recommendations that we have presented to the Administration before, to ensure that the rights of Indigenous peoples are respected and guaranteed.
1. Work directly with Indigenous peoples advancing the human rights of their peoples and communities in migration through the implementation of the National Congress of American IndiansResolution #ABQ-19-012, Calling to Protect and Advance the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples Migration to the U.S., including the creation of “an Indigenous Language Advisory Commission, comprised of tribal and Indigenous language and cultural experts, to establish an intake process to count Indigenous peoples, develop Indigenous language resources, develop required trainings for all Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Justice (DOJ), and Department of Health and Human Services personnel on indigenous peoples’ human rights”;
2. Adequate training of Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents and personnel in charge of conducting credible fear screenings to properly identify Indigenous asylum seekers;
3. Development of a better appointment system that provides migrants with a timely appointment and in their respective language, with a focus on Indigenous languages, which is currently not available through CBP One;
4. Further investment in language interpreters with an emphasis on Indigenous language interpreters for asylum seekers, and not militarization and detention; and
5. Halting all efforts of reinstalling family detention, which presents additional hurdles for asylum seekers and migrants.