Project Corazon: Border Rights Program

Hundreds of tents housing asylum seekers in hundred-degree weather in Reynosa, MX.

Through Project Corazon, L4GG runs a full-time legal clinic in the Rio Grande Valley to assist asylum seekers at the Brownsville, TX - Matamoros, MX and Hidalgo, TX - Reynosa, MX international border crossings.

L4GG first developed a hybrid on-site and remote legal program to defend the rights of the families forced to wait in danger in Matamoros under the Trump Administration’s “Remain in Mexico” policy (MPP) in 2019. During the entirety of MPP and now during the destructive Title 42 policy, which bars individuals from seeking asylum at the southern border, we have continued our mission to assist asylum seekers in this region, providing legal assistance for asylum applications, humanitarian parole requests, the reunification of families at the border, and more. We prioritize assisting extremely vulnerable asylum seekers.

 
 

MPP in Matamoros - 2019 and beyond

In January 2019, the Trump Administration implemented a policy called the Migrant Protection Protocols, MPP, (also known as the “Remain in Mexico” program) which forced asylum seekers from Central America seeking entry at the Mexico Border to return to Mexico to wait for the US hearings in their cases. When MPP first expanded to the Matamoros-Brownsville Port of Entry in July of 2019, L4GG became aware of the lack of legal services for asylum seekers in Matamoros, and knew we needed to respond.  

Matamoros is an extremely dangerous border town, designated with the State Department’s highest security level, the same as travel to North Korea or Yemen. Violent cartel crime, such as murder, kidnapping, extortion, and sexual assault, including gun battles and blockades, are widespread. The Mexican government has limited capability to respond to this violence.

By late fall 2019, thousands of asylum seekers had been returned back from the Brownsville port of entry after requesting asylum and told to remain in Mexico. These refugees stayed close to the bridge to the US, at first without shelter, food or water, sanitation, or medical care. Over time, a makeshift refugee camp was built with tents, donated food, water, and medical care. Now, the encampment has a bit more support, with a medical team and better infrastructure such as water and sanitation. Unfortunately, the violence by the cartels has increased. The United Nations Refugee Relief still has no presence on the ground, citing the instability in the region.

 

Project Corazon Legal Clinic in Matamoros

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Within a few weeks of the implementation of MPP in Matamoros in Summer of 2019, we first began a weekend legal workshop program that has since grown into a full-time legal clinic for asylum seekers in Matamoros. 

Since we established the clinic, we have provided legal assistance to 2,700+ individuals, including nearly 1,500 families and more than 800 children. For each asylum seeker, we’ve conducted an intake and supervised the preparation of an I-589 asylum application, prepared remotely by a pro bono attorney volunteer. In addition, hundreds more migrants received information and advice through workshops and clinics, but did not request individual assistance. Having legal assistance makes a huge difference: studies show that over half of asylum claimants represented by attorneys have their applications approved whereas less than 10 percent of unrepresented applicants are successful. The difference can be life or death when asylum seekers are seeking safety from persecution in their home countries.

 
 

Current Operations in the Rio Grande Valley

Since March 2020 and the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, immigration policies at the border have been in flux. Title 42 was introduced in 2020, illegally barring individuals from seeking asylum at the Southern Border and causing irreparable harm to millions of people seeking safety from persecution. MPP was wound down in 2021, then restarted in 2022.

However, we have remained steadfast in our commitment to asylum seekers in the Rio Grande Valley. At times, there is more need for our services in Matamoros, and at other times in Reynosa. We continue to serve asylum seekers remotely full-time and frequently in person in Mexico.

We continue to prepare I-589s and final filing packets, and are seeking humanitarian parole for all who are eligible. As the laws and policies change, we remain committed to providing every legal remedy for every single asylum seeker in the Rio Grande Valley.

Medically-Vulnerable Asylum Seekers

An additional focus for our program is ensuring that asylum seekers who are especially vulnerable to life as a refugee, such as those with medical or physical conditions, disabilities, LGBTQ individuals, or third-language speakers, receive holistic legal assistance. For these asylum seekers, we ensure a continuum of care from medical providers, social services, translators, and more. Often times, we work with someone who is in need of critical medical care and securing their entry to the US to wait for their immigration proceedings can significantly improve their health or even save their lives.

Staff

Project Corazon Border Rights Program has three full-time staff members - Supervising Attorney Priscilla Orta, Staff Attorney Jessica Riley, and client outreach manager Estuardo Cifuentes. The program is made possible by volunteers in the Rio Grande Valley and throughout the U.S., and Translator Coordinator Julie Stowe Manrique. 

We Need Your Support

Having a lawyer makes a huge difference in the outcome of an asylum case. Reports vary as to the precise difference, but some of the longer terms studies show that the odds of gaining asylum are five times higher when represented. It is extremely difficult to obtain a US attorney when the asylum seeker is in Mexico; recent information indicates that only roughly 7.5% of asylum seekers in MPP have a lawyer.