The current conditions of asylum seekers

The political asylum process of the US has been substantially modified in recent years. This is mainly because the current government does not agree to allow asylum seekers to reside in the country while they await responses for their immigration cases.

Normally, due to the amount of asylum applications, the waiting time for immigrants to receive a response is usually between six months and a couple of years, but it depends on multiple factors.

Thus, the current administration of the US, led by President Donald Trump, argues that immigrants tend to overuse local resources and social benefits while waiting for a response to their requests for political asylum.

That is why the Trump administration signed an agreement with the Mexican government in early 2019, called the Migrant Protection Protocol (MPP), also known as “Remain in Mexico”.

This policy states that immigrants must wait in Mexico while their asylum applications are resolved by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) or until they have a hearing with a local judge, depending on the specific case.

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The risk posed by the MPP

It is important to clarify that asylum seekers flee in fear of danger, persecution or violence in their countries, seeking international protection and usually do not have many belongings or financial solvency.

Therefore, they do not live in adequate conditions in Mexico for multiple reasons. Let’s see some of them:

• They live in temporary shelters, usually overcrowded.
• There is no constant access to food, water, toilets in adequate hygiene conditions, or showers.
• They live on donations from neighboring communities or immigrant rights advocates.
• Usually, there are not enough medical personnel to assist them in the event of a health emergency.
• They are at the mercy of local gangs who constantly threaten their safety.

Nowadays, with the arrival of the global Coronavirus pandemic, the situation for asylum seekers is worse and thousands of people are in danger due to current immigration policies.

The fact that these temporary shelters, where immigrants under the MPP live, are overcrowded increases the risk of a massive outbreak of COVID-19 among these communities.

In addition to that, Mexico is going through its peak of contagion and that worsens the situation for asylum seekers, as well as for the local government and its health system.

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Asylum seekers file a lawsuit

A group of asylum seekers filed a lawsuit against the MPP policy, which was implemented by the Trump administration.

The plaintiffs claim that they went back to Mexico without money, without protection and some of them were pregnant, putting their children at risk.

Therefore, they ask the court to declare the MPP illegal and to revoke this immigration policy as soon as possible, before a humanitarian catastrophe occurs in the midst of the health crisis we are going through.

In fact, attorneys representing women involved in the lawsuit state: “Substantially all asylum-seekers are returned to Mexico without consideration for their safety or their ability to litigate asylum claims while living in danger and destitution in Mexico.”

Seek reliable help for your immigration case

Whether your immigration case is related to family, business, deportation, appeal, adjustment of status, waiver, or any other, it is essential for you to seek reliable help from expert who can guide you towards the success of your immigration application.

If you have any questions about an immigration issue or relating to a case you may have currently in progress, then please don’t hesitate to contact us for a FREE Phone Consultation with one of our expert immigration attorneys.

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