CAIR Coalition Urges President to Reconsider Plan to Expedite Deportation of Central American Children Fleeing Violence
In a letter sent to the White House on July 3, CAIR Coalition joined dozens of other immigrant, civil rights and human rights organizations in urging President Obama to reconsider plans to expedite the deportation of unaccompanied immigrant children fleeing violence in Central America.
The administration’s recent statements have placed far greater emphasis on deterrence of migration than on the importance of protection of children seeking safety. At a time when the region is confronted with a major humanitarian crisis, our nation cannot compromise on fundamental principles of compassion, fairness, and due process, nor on our international refugee protection obligations. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has found that almost 60 percent of children fleeing to the United States from Central America are asylum seekers. We are deeply concerned that the administration will circumvent the protections of the bipartisan Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) of 2008 and remove the children apprehended at the border through a non-judicial process [...] following cursory screenings that have already proven entirely inadequate to identify genuine refugee claims among Mexican children. As it stands, the proposed plan would appear to place at risk these existing legal protections, jeopardizing the lives of children seeking safety in the United States. Undermining due process and protection under the law is not the right answer, and certainly will not appease the criticisms of those who have been calling for more punitive and aggressive enforcement. The cost of pushing vulnerable children back into dangerous or deadly situations is simply too high. We oppose any plan to amend the TVPRA to weaken the protections afforded to children from Central America, and we urge you to ensure that the rights and safety of these children are guaranteed. To read the full letter as well as see the list of undersigned organizations, click --> Letter to the President
