TW: Violence towards migrants, mentions of sexual assault
This year there have been record numbers of migrant deaths on the U.S.-Mexico border. The US border patrol recorded 557 Southwest border deaths this year, almost 300 more than in the previous two years.
Crossing the border is extremely dangerous. According to former Customs and Border Protection official Rosa Flores, many migrants underestimate the effects of dehydration and the difficult navigation they are faced with while attempting to flee their countries which has caused the surge in deaths.
Even when migrants endure and survive the difficult journey, they face numerous challenges at the border.
Border Patrol officers, whose job it is to ensure safety, have faced numerous accusations of abusing migrants — physically, emotionally and sexually. Lately, reports have been released about federal agents at the U.S.-Mexico border performing invasive searches of women, misspending federal aid for migrants and forgoing COVID-19 distancing policies. Women have reported being pushed down, men have spoken out about how they have been denied medical treatment and migrants have noted the officers have been tearing up their documents. Even those migrants who haven’t personally experienced abuse from officers, report being treated as if they are “worthless.”
Pictures have recently been published of Border Patrol agents whipping horse reins at Haitian migrants. Reports from the Human Rights Watch have publicized these many accounts of misconduct from federal officers, emphasizing how the DHS has allowed the normalization of abuse on the border.
Human rights activists and immigration advocates have been appalled at the way these migrants have been treated and have been advocating for reforms, calling upon the DHS and Department of Justice to seriously investigate these claims.
Despite Biden promising to address these immigration issues, with the pandemic and the influx of migrants, the US is still working under the same border policies as under former president Trump. Vice President Kamala Harris, who has assumed control of immigration matters, has not commented on the situation at the border.
As the U.S. begins to open up its southern border to Mexico this week, hopefully, more migrants will be welcomed and receive the support they need.