Emergency in immigration centers

Due to the emergence of COVID-19, immigrants who apply to asylum or refuge are experiencing a difficult time in the US.

Since Trump took office in 2017, immigration policies have changed constantly and the processes are more difficult now.

According to the President of the US, immigration is a negative aspect for the country, therefore, he has tried to reduce it at all costs.

In light of the pandemic, the government has made drastic decisions to protect federal employees who work in immigration detention centers.

Immigration centers are mostly overcrowded. They do not have adequate hygiene since many people are there.

Children are normally separated from their parents because by law they cannot be arrested for more than 72 hours.

They are taken to juvenile detention centers. They remain in the custody of the US government until their cases are resolved.

In these centers there are children of all ages.

What Trump’s government decided is to quickly start deporting immigrant children alone to their countries.

Federal employees who are in juvenile immigration centers say they are following orders to prevent the massive spread of the virus.

For children who are arriving alone at the borders right now, border forces are applying the Disease Control and Prevention rule.

This rule states that no one can be allowed to enter the US without prior legal authorization. This includes children of all ages.

Previously, this rule could not be applied to minors.

The statement clarifies that there is an exception when children are sick. In that case, they are sent to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR).

What does the defense of immigrant children say?

Advocates for the rights of immigrant children gave various opinions regarding the use of this rule.

1. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, an analyst with the American Immigration Council, stated: “Children arriving at the border, many of whom have suffered unimaginable damage at home and on their journey, are the most vulnerable group found by the border officials. Unaccompanied children are particularly vulnerable to trafficking (…) The response to the coronavirus cannot be to put children at risk. ”
2. Since 2008, children have been sent to the Refugee Resettlement Office because this protects them from human trafficking.
   Previously, the number of cases of child abuse and human trafficking was very high. So Bush’s administration decided to protect immigrant children and send them to juvenile detention centers while awaiting a response to their requests for asylum or refuge.
3. There are reports stating that this measure is made only to speed up Trump’s immigration policies.
4. Eleanor Acer, director of refugee protection at Human Rights First declared that Trump approved that rule “to advance their long-standing goal of overturning US laws protecting vulnerable children and people seeking asylum.”

What are the current figures?

During 2019, the figures showed that around 100 applications were made daily to request refuge for minors.

Currently, during the Coronavirus outbreak, there are approximately 14 daily referrals of children seeking refuge in the US.

This is 78% less than the requests they received last month.

Therefore, we can clearly see the impact of current immigration policies and the reduction of minors entering the country.

Find experts to protect your family

When it comes to immigration, it’s very important to be careful not to put minors at risk.

You can always seek specialized help to advise you on your family immigration case.

It is important to take care of the children of our society since they are the future of the world.

That’s why 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.

Simply call Motion Law today at: (202) 918-1799.