Amnesty International Statement ahead of Caravan Hearing

Ahead of the May 22 Border and Maritime Security Subcommittee hearing entitled “Stopping the Daily Border Caravan: Time to Build a Policy Wall”, Amnesty International USA submitted a statement for the record, addressing refugee protection and asylum seekers.

In April and May 2018 AI researchers conducted a multi-week research mission along the entire U.S.–Mexico border, from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. Our team documented not only the situations of asylum seekers who sought to present themselves at U.S. ports of entry, but also the conduct of U.S. border and immigration authorities in facilitating and processing their asylum claims under U.S. law.

Within the Americas, AI’s top refugee focus is on the Northern Triangle region of Central America (Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala), where we have researched the underlying causes that have led to large numbers of people fleeing the Northern Triangle region in search of protection. AI has also researched the experiences of refugees in Mexico and the experiences of people requesting protection at the U.S. border. The statement details preliminary findings and offers policy recommendations to Congress and the Trump administration.

For more information, please contact Joanne Lin at [email protected] or (202) 509-8151.