Written by Charlene D’Cruz, Director, Project Corazon Border Rights Program

Kamala Harris’ recently made a much-anticipated trip to the southern border region with Secretary Mayorkas. I hope that the visit will result in positive policy changes for the families fleeing danger that I work with daily, but that remains to be seen. I hope that Vice President Harris met with people who live and work in the southern border region, but as a woman of color, a fellow attorney, and one that works on the front lines with migrants seeking safety at our borders daily, this is what I would tell Vice President Harris if we were to sit down in a room together. 

“Don’t Come” Rhetoric Doesn’t Work.

First, telling people “don’t come” is not only insensitive and unproductive, but ignores the very real root causes of migration, and the U.S.’s involvement therein. People don’t leave their homes and their families behind to make the treacherous journey north because they want to, they do it because they have no choice. Telling people, especially those in the Northern Triangle countries of Central America, to not come doesn’t work — plain and simple. Our immigration policies must acknowledge this reality and provide pathways for all people, regardless of their country of origin, to seek safety in our borders.

Title 42 is Illegal.

Second, people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, and that more often than not the current realities at the border fall short of this basic measure. Seeking asylum is a human right, one that is recognized by international and domestic law, and yet for many individuals fleeing danger in their home countries they have no ability to do so on our southern border because of the Administration’s insistence on continuing the Trump Era Title 42 expulsions.  We must overturn Title 42, and we must provide a realistic and effective way that vulnerable people can get accepted for parole in a timely manner.

Inhumane Welcoming Conditions Endangers Lives.

Third, too often extremely vulnerable individuals are not given humane treatment, like our pregnant client, who was denied entry into the U.S. and then kidnapped in Mexico. I must stand side by side with my clients, many of them experiencing severe medical conditions, for hours on the Brownsville-Matamoros International Bridge in the scorching heat. This is not how we as a country should be treating people fleeing dangerous situations and seeking safety at our borders. 

I’m sure Vice President Harris would agree that our obligation to undo the harm from the previous administration lies in our actions, not optics. I welcome the actions this Administration has taken so far, like beginning the wind down of the Remain in Mexico Program. But on the whole, there is still much to do. We must end Title 42 and stop the U.S. government from blocking access to asylum. We must provide a humane, dignified pathway to seek asylum for all who flee danger at our southern border, especially for extremely vulnerable individuals.

I welcome Vice President Harris to visit the southern border region again, and I implore her Administration to enable an asylum system that centers the well-being and dignity of all who seek protection in the U.S.