Humanitarian Disgrace: U.S. Continues to Illegally Block, Expel Refugees to Danger

In addition to implementing its notorious “Remain in Mexico” program, the Trump Administration has weaponized public health powers since the beginning of the pandemic to ban children, families, and adults from requesting asylum at official ports of entry and to expel those who cross the border in search of protection – delivering them back either to the countries they fled or to escalating violenc. [...] DHS has used the CDC order to expel refugees to the very countries from which they fled persecution and torture without the legal processes Congress requires to screen asylum seekers, including: In July 2020, DHS expelled a prominent political dissident, Valeska Alemán, labeled as the “face of rebellion” by local newspapers, to Nicaragua under the CDC order without an opportunity to seek asylum,. [...] “If we were not there to help these people, there would be nobody.” Expulsions to Mexico under the CDC order include: In April 2020, Border Patrol agents used the CDC order to expel to Mexico two Honduran children and their pregnant asylum-seeking mother, who had been repeatedly raped in Mexico, in the middle of the night while she was in the midst of contractions. [...] When the family’s request for parole, which had been submitted in May 2020 by the family’s attorney at Make the Road New Jersey, was approved, the family reported to the port of entry, received pre-prepared parole paperwork, and were processed at the port in a matter of minutes. [...] The terrified family filmed the 15 HUMANITARIAN DISGRACE incident as the men searched for an unknown individual and attempted to present the video to the police to file a complaint, who refused, telling the family since they were migrants, they had "no rights.” According to HIAS, the family fl.