Amnesty International says it is “unconscionable” that the administration of President Andres Manuel López Obrador is sending migrant children fleeing persecution or trying to unite with their family members in the United States back into harm’s way in their home countries.
In a recent article, Erika Guevara-Rosas, AI’s Americas director, said the Instituto Nacional de Migración (INM) forcibly returned 17,750 children to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador between January 1 and June 6, in addition to continuing to carry out “major operations” on the U.S.-Mexico border, deporting nearly 1,000 migrants and asylum seekers from there to Central America in a single day in late May.
“In many cases the authorities fail to ensure that the children can be safely returned without the risk of harm or persecution,” Guevara-Rosas said. “Instead of pushing these children into harm’s way, Mexico should provide them with access to asylum in Mexico, if necessary, or coordinate with U.S. authorities to allow the safe and orderly passage of these children to the United States.”
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