Dozens of House Democrats are calling for increased transparency at the so-called immigration “tent courts” where some asylum-seekers forced to wait in Mexico are having their cases heard, writing in a letter to the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice that these border facilities are “shrouded in secrecy since their creation and there has been little oversight over their operations.”
So secretive that immigration court proceedings, which are usually open to the public, have been blocked off completely to everyone but asylum-seekers and their attorneys. “Thus far, DHS has not allowed non-governmental organizations or the public access inside these facilities and have prevented organizations from providing legal orientation for asylum-seekers,” the members, led by Hispanic Caucus chair Joaquin Castro and Rep. Tony Cardenas, wrote.
Perhaps because these kangaroo court proceedings have been widely criticized as sham justice. Asylum-seekers waiting in Mexico face numerous roadblocks in just trying to get to their U.S. hearings. For example, if they can find transportation to get them from a shelter or squalid camp to a port of entry, families with 7:30 AM hearings are expected to show up three hours early. Then at court, asylum-seekers don’t physically face a judge, but rather a live feed of one 150 miles away—and that feed can often cut out.
“The secretive nature of the tent facilities is aggravated by the fact that DHS continues to expand its deeply concerning Remain in Mexico program,” the House members continue. “Migrants subject to the Remain in Mexico program have been separated from their families, have been forced to remain in a country that has been unwilling or unable to provide them shelter or protection and are obstructed from adequately participating in the legal process pursuant to their rights.”
To date, more than 60,000 asylum-seekers have been forced to Mexico to wait out their cases, with some parents becoming so desperate they are sending their kids back into the U.S. alone. From this forcible family separation to these sham courts, Remain in Mexico has been a disgrace, and it’s one that the administration hopes to keep operating in secrecy—which means we need to keep talking about it.
“We reiterate that we remain strongly opposed to the Remain in Mexico program and its expansion,” the legislators conclude. “Instead of creating policies that protect our nation, this administration has put millions of people at risk in order to expand disastrous immigration policies.”