One Asylum Seeker’s Story
Mary and her two children, ages 10 and 5, walked 1,200 miles from Guatemala to Matamoros in 2019 to seek asylum. Mary’s husband abused her so badly that he was sent to jail in Guatemala, which is uncommon for domestic disputes in that country. In jail, her husband was targeted by gang members and a prison guard for extortion, which extended to Mary and her children. Fleeing for their lives, they set out north in search of safety.
Mary and her children have been languishing in the refugee camp in Matamoros for over a year without a roof over their heads. They experienced hope for the first time when President-Elect Biden won the election, as he’s campaigned on ending the dangerous Remain in Mexico program they have been placed into. Unfortunately, that hope has now been dashed, thanks to the outgoing Trump administration’s attempts to do as much damage as possible for asylum seekers on their way out the door.
Draconian New Asylum Regulations
Last week, the Trump administration finalized draconian new asylum regulations that will be enacted on January 11, 2021. The new regulations remove pathways to asylum based on domestic violence, gender-based violence, and more. They also allow Immigration Judges to dismiss cases without a hearing, based solely on evidence provided in paper applications. In a nutshell, the new regulations will make it almost impossible for the vast majority of our clients to secure safety with their families.
Additionally, even if Biden’s new immigration team decides to undo this damaging rule, it will take many months for replacement policies to come into effect. Mary’s case is scheduled for mid-February 2021, before Biden would have a chance to undo these harsh regulations.
How You Can Help
We currently have 2 staff members and 1 full time volunteer at the border. We also have approximately 600 asylum seekers who need help preparing key documents in support of their asylum applications. To have a real chance at asylum, these 600 migrants, including Mary and her two children, need to file before January 11. The stakes are high and our resources are limited. We’ve put together an online training program and resource materials for pro bono attorneys, but we’re going to need a lot more volunteer lawyers to get this work done.
If you are an attorney and have the capacity to volunteer to take on one of these cases before the end of the year, we need you. Spanish speaking attorneys are very much preferred, or, attorneys that come with their own volunteer translators. You can learn more about what is required and sign-up here. Note: this opportunity is 100% remote.
If you are fluent in Spanish and able to serve as a volunteer translator for these cases, please sign up here. Note: this opportunity is 100% remote.
If you can’t volunteer, you can still help. Can you support the out of pocket costs to prepare just one application, which is $75? Or, can you donate $300 to cover the costs associated with overseeing an entire filing?
You can also help by sending this blog post to lawyers and Spanish speakers in your network.
We need as many volunteers as possible if we are going to have a shot at meeting this need. This is one of those times when the only way we can succeed is through the power of our community. Thank you so much for doing what you can.
UPDATE from January 2021: We successfully provided pro bono lawyers to assist approximately 100 families - 130 adults and 86 children - and now have temporarily paused this phase of our work. See more about the current status of Project Corazon Matamoros here.