Children Seeking Asylum March
Mister President, there are a lot of children and adults, asking, begging that you give us asylum in your country because in our countries, we are not safe. Mister President, please open the gate. We pray that God touches your heart and you help us because we have suffered a lot here.
--Fanny Fabiola, 10 years old, Guerrero, MX
On Wednesday, October 21st, children asylum seekers, their families, and immigration advocates from both sides of the border will march in protest of the inhumane and unlawful dismantling of the asylum system and the subsequent consequences it has had on children.
Migrant children have prepared statements and prayers that they will share on the day of the event, including 10-year-old Fanny Fabiola from Guerrero, Mexico. Her statement addressed to President Trump reads: “Mister President, there are a lot of children and adults, asking, begging that you give us asylum in your country because in our countries, we are not safe. Mister President, please open the gate. We pray that God touches your heart and you help us because we have suffered a lot here.”
Migrant children and their families will walk from downtown Nogales, Sonora to the port of entry for a moment of prayer offered by children asylum seekers. The children will then lead the group from the port of entry to the border wall where supporters and advocates on the U.S. side of the wall will receive them. Together, this binational #SaveAsylum coalition, made up of migrants and civil society groups will listen to and validate the children’s testimonies of being subjected to long waits in Nogales as a result of the Trump Administration’s anti-asylum policies. During this event, migrant children will share their stories about what it is like to live in limbo in Nogales and their dreams for the future. We will conclude with accompanying José, his wife, and 2 young children to the port of entry to claim asylum.
Migrant children have prepared statements and prayers that they will share on the day of the event, including 10-year-old Fanny Fabiola from Guerrero, Mexico. Her statement addressed to President Trump reads: “Mister President, there are a lot of children and adults, asking, begging that you give us asylum in your country because in our countries, we are not safe. Mister President, please open the gate. We pray that God touches your heart and you help us because we have suffered a lot here.”
Migrant children and their families will walk from downtown Nogales, Sonora to the port of entry for a moment of prayer offered by children asylum seekers. The children will then lead the group from the port of entry to the border wall where supporters and advocates on the U.S. side of the wall will receive them. Together, this binational #SaveAsylum coalition, made up of migrants and civil society groups will listen to and validate the children’s testimonies of being subjected to long waits in Nogales as a result of the Trump Administration’s anti-asylum policies. During this event, migrant children will share their stories about what it is like to live in limbo in Nogales and their dreams for the future. We will conclude with accompanying José, his wife, and 2 young children to the port of entry to claim asylum.
Background
The current administration has worked to systematically limit access to asylum at the border, including 8 anti-asylum regulations proposed just in 2020. When Customs and Border Protection (CBP) implemented metering in May 2018 at the ports of entry in Nogales, migrants were abruptly faced with waiting weeks or months before being able to formally begin their asylum process in the U.S. The implementation of so-called “Migrant Protection Protocols” (MPP), or the ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy, then forced asylum seekers to wait months or years in Mexico for their U.S. asylum hearings. These policies have obligated many of the migrant families passing through Nogales to live in unsustainable uncertainty. Now the Administration has used the global pandemic as a pretext to fully suspend asylum processing, denying those fleeing persecution their right to refuge and due process in the United States.
Hundreds of children and their families have been waiting in Nogales, Sonora for months, some now for more than a year to seek protection in the U.S. For asylum seekers who have been returned to Nogales under MPP/’Remain in Mexico,’ their court dates have been repeatedly postponed, and many will not be heard by a judge until summer of 2021. One asylum seeker, a Honduran woman, who was returned to Nogales under MPP in January with her 14-year-old daughter, describes the situation as “having their lives on hold” and that MPP is like “having been returned to [their] predators.”
Our concern for migrant families and children seeking asylum seekers runs deep; therefore, the SaveAsylum coalition, made up of civil society groups in the U.S and Mexico, dedicates the October 21st SaveAsylum action to migrant children in Nogales who are enduring prolonged and unnecessary uncertainty and anxiety. Additionally, we lift up the resilient parents, guardians, and family members who have chosen these journeys to provide a better future for their children. Rooted in the concept of ‘civil initiative’ and our responsibility to hold the government accountable for violating both international and domestic law, we come together on October 21st to condemn the U.S. government’s failure to protect migrant families and vulnerable children.
Hundreds of children and their families have been waiting in Nogales, Sonora for months, some now for more than a year to seek protection in the U.S. For asylum seekers who have been returned to Nogales under MPP/’Remain in Mexico,’ their court dates have been repeatedly postponed, and many will not be heard by a judge until summer of 2021. One asylum seeker, a Honduran woman, who was returned to Nogales under MPP in January with her 14-year-old daughter, describes the situation as “having their lives on hold” and that MPP is like “having been returned to [their] predators.”
Our concern for migrant families and children seeking asylum seekers runs deep; therefore, the SaveAsylum coalition, made up of civil society groups in the U.S and Mexico, dedicates the October 21st SaveAsylum action to migrant children in Nogales who are enduring prolonged and unnecessary uncertainty and anxiety. Additionally, we lift up the resilient parents, guardians, and family members who have chosen these journeys to provide a better future for their children. Rooted in the concept of ‘civil initiative’ and our responsibility to hold the government accountable for violating both international and domestic law, we come together on October 21st to condemn the U.S. government’s failure to protect migrant families and vulnerable children.
Safety Protocol
- Everyone will wear a mask over mouth and nose for the entirety of the event
- Please observe safe social-distancing at all times - maintain 6 feet or 2 meters between you and anyone else present
- Please do not approach the cordoned off area for speakers; this is for the safety of the presenters and your own safety
- Please do not attend if you are feeling ill
- No hand-shaking or hugging
- Carry hand sanitizer and please use it frequently
- Observe safe social distancing during your drive to the border - only carpool with those who have been in isolation with you