Advancing Justice – AAJC Mourns the Lives Lost and Harmed in Ciudad Juarez Migrant Detention Facility Fire, Calls for Action on Behalf of Immigrants and People Seeking Asylum
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Michelle Boykins, Advancing Justice - AAJC, mboykins@advancingjustice-aajc.org
Advancing Justice – AAJC Mourns the Lives Lost and Harmed in Ciudad Juarez Migrant Detention Facility Fire, Calls for Action on Behalf of Immigrants and People Seeking Asylum
Washington, D.C. – Earlier this week, a fire broke out in a migrant detention facility along the U.S. southern border in Ciudad Juarez, resulting in the deaths of at least 38 people and 29 injured. According to reports, the migrants were confined to a cell intended for a maximum of 50 people and deprived of access to drinking water.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC issues the following statement:
“Our hearts are broken by this tragedy that has left dozens of people dead, dozens more injured, and countless more in mourning. We offer our deepest condolences to the families of the fallen victims and are praying for the survivors.
“Immigrants, frontline defenders at the border, and advocates have always said human lives are the cost of restrictive border policies. But instead of heeding their warnings, the U.S. continues to keep punitive policies of deterrence in place and put more on the table, while some members of Congress persist in a campaign to end asylum altogether.
“Many of these migrants died exercising the human and legal right to seek safety. Other innumerable lives have been and will be lost because of U.S. immigration policies that embrace cruelty over humanity.
“It is painfully clear deterrence policies do not stop people fleeing violence and persecution from needing to seek asylum or make it safe for them to wait in danger or return to the conditions they escaped from. Policies of deterrence do, however, push migrants into vulnerable situations and cause harm.
“Our elected leaders must ensure there is not one more tragedy. The Biden Administration must end policies restricting access to asylum, such as Title 42 and the use of expedited removal, and abandon plans for any other harmful regulations, including the proposed asylum ban. Congress must not consider any legislation that propels or keeps such policies in place. Detention, deterrence, and asylum bans simply hurt the most vulnerable.