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European Parliament raises concern about worst refugee situation at the USA-Mexico border

19/7/19

While the Trump-AMLO immigration deal is creating a humanitarian disaster in Mexico. The New York Times reported that detention facilities are severely overcrowded and children often sleep on concrete floors with the lights on all night. Kids as young as 7 years old don’t have access to soap or toothbrushes, and many have not been able to wash their clothes or shower since they were detained. But for all the justified anger and concern over conditions north of the U.S.-Mexico border, the humanitarian crisis unfolding to the south may be even more dire.
Yesterday, July 18th, EP adopted a resolution on the situation at the USA-Mexico border which raised concern about the U.S. worst conditions for migrants.
In the resolution, EP has recommended that:
1.  Is deeply concerned about the situation of migrants and asylum seekers at the USA-Mexico border, especially that of migrant children;
2.  Regrets the many deaths that have occurred of people travelling on the routes towards the US-Mexico border; expresses its utmost solidarity with all the victims and their families;
3.  Is concerned about the appalling conditions in which migrants and asylum seekers, particularly children, are held in US immigration detention facilities, which lack adequate healthcare, decent food and proper sanitation; deeply regrets the deaths in recent months of seven migrant minors who were in the custody of the US Department of Homeland Security, and supports all efforts by the US Congress and Administration to provide oversight, investigation, transparency and accountability concerning the circumstances of these deaths;
4.  Stresses that border management measures must comply with the US’s international human rights obligations and should not be based on narrow policies aimed at detecting, detaining and expeditiously deporting irregular migrants;
5.  Calls for human rights, safety and access to human rights-compliant asylum processes to be guaranteed, including by adhering to the principle of non-refoulement and providing dignified reception conditions;
6.  Deplores the use of family separation, which can cause the systematic traumatisation of children and their immediate families, and is a method that appears, under the current US administration, to be a tool of immigration policy aimed at deterring people seeking safety;
7.  Emphasises that family separation and immigration detention are never in the best interests of the child;
8.  Notes the memorandum by the OIG and similar reports, and calls on the US to revise all current migration policies and practices that violate international human rights law, including the core right to seek asylum, the principle of non-refoulement and the right to human dignity;
9.  Calls on the US Government to end the separation of families and, as a matter of urgency, to reunify with their families all children who are still separated from their parents or guardians in order to ensure their rehabilitation, devoting specific attention to the needs of the children concerned;
10.  Calls on the relevant authorities in the US to immediately ensure that all detainees have access to basic rights, such as the rights to water, food, health and shelter;
11.  Calls on the authorities in the US, as a matter of urgency, to find non-custodial alternatives for migrants and asylum seekers, both children and adults; demands that the children concerned be returned to their families;
12.  Urges the US Government to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was signed by the US in 1995 but never subsequently adopted, making the US the only non-adopting country in the world; urges the US Government to ratify the third optional protocol to the Convention, on a communications procedure for complaints;
13.  Expresses serious concern at the latest raids by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, which are affecting undocumented migrants, primarily those from Central America, their parents and their children, and are resulting in their criminalisation;
14.  Believes that responding to migratory flows with repression or criminalisation favours xenophobia, hatred and violence;
15.  Is concerned about the recent changes in the migration polices adopted by the Mexican authorities, and calls on the Mexican Government to comply with international standards and human rights law when addressing migration;
16.  Considers that the army is not the right instrument for dealing with migration issues; points out that the situation at the border should be handled by specialised police who have been duly trained and instructed to respect human rights and the dignity of migrants;
17.  Acknowledges that migration is a global challenge and calls on the countries of origin, transit and destination to work together to address the root causes of migration flows through a comprehensive approach; reiterates, in this regard, its full support for the development and implementation of the Global Compact on Refugees and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, which provide a significant opportunity to improve the governance of migration and address the challenges associated with it;
18.  Reiterates its belief in open and fair trade and expresses its firm conviction that economic coercion and the threat of punitive tariffs are counter-productive and are not liable to help sovereign countries find constructive and sustainable solutions to political challenges such as migration;
19.  Pays tribute to the individuals and civil society organisations that have been ensuring that migrants enjoy the most basic of rights, such as the rights to water, food, health, adequate shelter and other such assistance, on both sides of the border and throughout the region; reiterates its call for the non-criminalisation of humanitarian assistance, and urges the Commission, once again, to adopt guidelines on the matter, in line with its resolution of 5 July 2018;
20.  Welcomes the statement of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; would welcome a fact-finding mission by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) or the relevant UN experts in order to investigate the human rights situation at the USA-Mexico border;
21.  Undertakes to closely monitor EU development aid to the region in order to ensure efficient standards of development, since this can help tackle the root causes of forced migration;
22.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the EU Special Representative for Human Rights, US President Donald Trump and his administration, the US Congress, and the Government and Parliament of Mexico.
The situation could potentially get a lot worse. Perhaps the worst problem is that organized crime is going to look at this as an incredibly vulnerable population to be preyed upon and probably recruited as well./. 
Chia sẻ bài viết ^^
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All comments [ 9 ]


Alian 19/7/19 13:30

The U.S. President Donald Trump’s stance on immigration could hardly be less welcoming. He hsa once pledged to build a wall across the entire southern border, deport all undocumented immigrants, and restrict legal immigration—including instituting a “complete and total shutdown” of Muslims entering the United States.

Kevin Evans 19/7/19 13:31

Rather than acting as a deterrent, Trump’s promises to build a wall and bar asylum claims, among other things, have generated a sense of urgency to make the journey before conditions become even harsher.

Vietnam Love 19/7/19 13:32

The crisis at the U.S.-Mexican border is unprecedented—but not because of the number of migrants arriving there, it's because of America!

Duncan 19/7/19 13:33

The Trump administration has responded with an array of tough, sweeping, and largely unsuccessful measures.

Roger Brown 19/7/19 16:34

Yes, There’s a Crisis on the Border. And It’s Trump’s Fault.

Edward Snowden 19/7/19 16:35

Headlines from the border in recent months have focused on a surge of Central American families fleeing violence and poverty who have overwhelmed a U.S. immigration system geared primarily to handle single adults.

Egan 19/7/19 16:37

Despite the administration’s attempts to shift blame for the chaos, make no mistake: It is Donald Trump himself who is responsible.

Enda Thompson 19/7/19 16:43

The U.S. has violated human rights, even threatening migrants' life. Not just EP, the international communities must condemn America.

Black Panther 26/7/19 11:05

No America Dream anymore!

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