Amnesty International Criticizes Trump’s Border and Migration Policies

Denying entry to asylum seekers, detaining children in detention centers, and failing to process refugee requests are among the issues that human rights organization Amnesty International has criticized in its report on Trump’s policies.

Amnesty International issued a new report on Thursday (June 15 / June 25) sharply criticizing the United States’ immigration and refugee policies.

According to the report, the strict policies of the United States cause displaced persons and refugees to resort to human trafficking gangs, thereby falling victim to violence. Some of them have even lost their lives during their escape attempts while trying to reach America.

According to Amnesty International’s statistics, between November 2016 and April 2017, a total of 71 asylum seekers and migrants lost their lives in Arizona’s desert. This number is 28 more than those who died during a similar period a year earlier.

In its report, the human rights organization has strongly criticized the performance of U.S. authorities and agencies in imprisoning and detaining asylum seekers in detention centers, sometimes for several months. In some cases, families with infants and children have been held in these detention centers for more than 600 days.

As Amnesty International noted in its report, currently 34,000 people are held in such detention centers, but U.S. President Donald Trump intends to double the capacity of these centers.

“Hate Speech” by the U.S. President

Maya Lebding, head of the North and Central American section at Amnesty International, said on this matter: “Donald Trump, with his strict border policy, is violating international standards regarding human rights.”

Amnesty International called on Trump to end “hate speech against displaced persons and migrants” and recognize their rights.

In one of his first actions after taking office in January of this year, Trump ordered the construction of a wall along the 3,200-kilometer border between the United States and Mexico.

The construction of this massive wall was one of the controversial promises that Donald Trump, the U.S. president, made during his election campaign; a wall that, in his view, would deter drug trafficking and illegal immigration.

Trump has even repeatedly said that the Mexicans themselves would pay for the construction of such a wall. The Mexican government at that time, during Trump’s election campaign, had expressed its opposition to such plans and measures.

Trump’s plan to build a border wall has so far faced considerable criticism, particularly outside the United States.

Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, during her recent visit to Latin America and her meeting and discussions with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, stated: “Building a wall and isolationism does not solve a problem. Most importantly, we must fight the roots and factors that cause flight and migration.”

Criticism of Mexico’s Policies

Of course, the United States alone is not the focus of Amnesty International’s criticism. In its latest report, the human rights organization has also criticized Mexico’s policies toward displaced persons and refugees.

According to Amnesty International’s report, Mexican border authorities returned 144,000 displaced persons and refugees to their country last year. 97 percent of these individuals were citizens of El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala.

According to Amnesty International officials, hundreds of thousands of residents of these countries attempt each year to flee the violence of trafficking gangs and mafias by crossing the Mexican border to reach the United States.

Maya Lebding, head of the North and Central American section at Amnesty International, while criticizing the Mexican government on this matter, said: “Instead of helping displaced persons and refugees from Central America, Mexico has adopted a policy based on closing borders and returning refugees.”

Source: DW