On March 18, a group of local organizations spoke at a virtual conference about the current situation at the San Ysidro-Tijuana border and called for action in discontinuing federal statute Title 42, which prevents refugees, asylees, and migrants from legal entry into the United States.
The call for discontinuing the statute’s enforcement comes as a result of increased migration to the U.S. by Ukrainian refugees seeking safe harbor from a February Russian invasion of their homeleand.
Lawyer Kate Clark, senior director of Immigration Services, Jewish Family Service of San Diego said in 2017, immigration advocated, organizations, and the community came together to form the San Diego Rapid Response Network.
Clark said the invasion of Ukraine has forced millions of Eastern Europeans to flee their home as violence escalates and civilian’s populations become increasingly at risk. These individuals join roughly 80 million displaced people around the world who remain in immediate danger fleeing war, persecution, and danger.
“As committed as we are in helping these new arrivals who deserve nothing more than to find safety after all they have endured, we cannot forget about the tens of thousands of other asylum seekers from around the world who remain stranded at our southern border because of cruel and inhumane policies like Title 42 and ‘Remain in Mexico’,” she said. “In the coming days as the plight of Ukrainians and other Eastern Europeans continue to unfold, among many other conflicts and humanitarian crises around the world, JFS stands at the ready to welcome the stranger. We call on the U.S. government to immediately end these policies and to stop inhumanely expelling asylum seekers and migrants arriving at the southern border. Together we must work with all forms of government as a community to invest in infrastructure and process asylum seekers at the border. It is what our country was built on and deserves. We are preparing for Title 42 and Migrancy Protection Protocols to no longer be our reality.”
Based in Tijuana, Erika Pinheiro, Litigation and Policy director at Al Otro Lado said it has recently been providing Notes of Rights presentation, accompaniment and humanitarian services for refugees in Tijuana, including Ukrainian refuges seeking safety in the U.S.
Pinheiro said more people are coming through now since the invasion of Ukraine, but that this population has been coming through the region for some time.
“Title 42 has been in place for that entire period,” she said. “There have been no legal means for that population and other nationalities to seek asylum in the U.S. Russians and Ukrainians tried to enter the U.S. through car lanes to claim asylum when they hit the inspection booth. In response to this, California Border Patrol increased enforcement to prevent these asylum seekers from ever reaching U.S. soil, turning the cars around into Mexico.”
Esmeralda Flores, immigrant rights and binational affairs advocate, ACLU San Diego & Imperial Counties said people fleeing persecution and violence have the human and legal right to seek asylum in the U.S.
“Trump era policies that remain in effect today, mostly Title 42 and remaining in Mexico perpetrates our governments violation of those fundamental rights. It is a national disgrace, and this Sunday marks a grave milestone. It is the second year anniversary of Title 42.”
“As long as Title 42 remains in force people fleeing persecution and violence will have their rights violated. Over the past two years, the ACLU has tried many efforts to eliminate Title 42. The U.S. has the capacity, resources and legal obligations to rollback these policies,” said Flores.
