IAFF 6358 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: American Immigration Lawyers Association, Unaccompanied Minors, Social Vulnerability
Document Summary
Guest speaker: karen lucas (associate director of advocacy, american immigration lawyers. The demographics and numbers of migrants coming to the southern u. s. borders have shifted majorly in the past decade (mostly single mexican men -> large refugee population from central america fleeing violence) U. s. has mislabeled the problem (only focusing on deterrence and criminalization of migration) as a border protection issue, not a humanitarian issue. According to the trafficking victims protection act, unaccompanied minors have to be referred to the office of refugee resettlement where they often are reunited with relatives/sponsors within the u. s. 99% of mexican unaccompanied children are quickly deported even when they have a protection claim, under which they are not supposed to be deported -> riddled with errors, needs radical changes in the system. Least protection for the most vulnerable -> violation of due process. Women on the run a unhcr report on the vulnerable female population leaving. Central america to make it to the u. s.