Home Headlines ‘Remain in Mexico’ asylum hearings suspended through June 1st

‘Remain in Mexico’ asylum hearings suspended through June 1st

by Yucatan Times
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SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Trump administration on Thursday suspended immigration court hearings for asylum-seekers waiting in Mexico through June 1, bowing to public health concerns while extending a state of limbo those locked down in Mexican migrant shelters.

With an order suspending hearings through Friday set to expire, the Homeland Security and Justice departments said that asylum-seekers with hearings through June 1 should appear at a border crossing when instructed to get new dates. They said in a joint statement that authorities will review conditions related to the coronavirus and proceed “as expeditiously as possible,” raising the prospect of additional delays.

While it is difficult to know precisely, the Justice Department estimated in late February that there were 25,000 people waiting in Mexico for hearings in U.S. court.

A woman who fled Nicaragua with her 9-year-old son said Thursday that the delays mean more time locked down in a Tijuana shelter, which, like many in the Mexican border city, stopped accepting new migrants and won’t let anyone already there leave to work or shop to prevent the virus from spreading. She moved to the shelter in March after a family that subsidized her rent ended their support due to a job loss.

Mileidy, the woman’s middle name, said she showed up at a San Diego crossing for her fifth hearing under heavy rain at 3 a.m. on April 7, an hour ahead of the appointed time. She said she was unable to reach U.S. officials for a new date but learned online that her next hearing was May 7.

About a week ago, Mileidy’s attorney got notice that her hearing was delayed again, this time to June 16. She spoke on condition that her full name not be published due to fears for her personal safety.

“All of this time in Mexico is nerve-wracking,” said Mileidy, who ran out of epilepsy medicine for her son and has been unable to get a new supply.

More than 60,000 asylum-seekers have been returned to Mexico to wait for hearings in U.S. court since January 2019, when the U.S. introduced its “Migrant Protection Protocols” policy, known informally as “Remain in Mexico.” It became a key pillar of the administration’s response to an unprecedented surge of asylum-seeking families at the border, drawing criticism for having people wait in highly dangerous Mexican cities.

Source: Associated Press

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