Léalo en Español
Washington, D.C. — In the weeks leading up to the U.S. midterm elections, media and political attention focused on the Central Americans traveling in caravans through Mexico, many hoping to request asylum in the United States. The current situation is part of a longer trend of increased immigration enforcement by the Mexican government since 2014—much of it with U.S. support and encouragement. Under the Southern Border Program, Mexican immigration authorities have apprehended more than 700,000 people. This crisis takes place as Mexico struggles to build out its ability to process and protect asylum seekers and as the United States increasingly militarizes its own border with Mexico.
The panel will focus on how Mexico’s Southern Border Program has affected migrants, predominantly from Central America, who are fleeing violence, threats, and poverty in their home countries. The speakers will discuss the dangers and legal difficulties that migrants and refugees face on their journey to the U.S. border; the issues facing Mexico’s asylum system; and the United States’ role in supporting Mexico’s border security and immigration enforcement efforts.
Please join the Center for American Progress for this timely discussion, which will take place during Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s second week in office. President López Obrador has promised to focus on migrants’ human rights, as well as the economic development of Mexico’s southern region. He has also proposed a joint development plan for Central America to President Donald Trump that includes support from Mexico and the United States.
This panel discussion will be in Spanish, and translation will be provided. The event will be livestreamed here.
All members of the press can RSVP by following this link.
WHO:
Introductory remarks:
Dawid Danilo Bartelt, Director, Office for Mexico and the Caribbean, Heinrich Böll Foundation
Featured panelists:
Miguel Ángel Paz Carrasco, Director, Voces Mesoamericanas, San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, México
Siria Villatoro González, Coordinator, Integral Defense Area, Fray Matias de Córdova Human Rights Center, Tapachula, Chiapas, México
Maureen Meyer, Director for Mexico and Migrant Rights, Washington Office on Latin America
Moderator:
Dan Restrepo, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress
WHEN:
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. ET
WHERE:
Center for American Progress
1333 H Street NW, 10th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20005
For more information, please contact Rafael Medina at [email protected] or 202.478.5313.