The KBI charts the success of our legal fellow program’s first year, offers an update on our direct aid and temporary shelters for asylum seekers at the port of entry, and shares details about recent immersions. Look for our 2017 annual report, in your postbox or online! KBI/Florence Project Legal Fellow: As we mark the one-year anniversary of our legal fellow program, co-sponsored by the Florence Project, we are pleased to share its impact. Since last August, Rocio Castañeda, our legal … [Read more...]
Archives for August 2018
KBI Media Report: July 2018
This month’s media report focuses on the asylum system in the U.S., with stories about asylum law violations, long waiting periods at ports of entry, and heart-wrenching deportation decisions faced by reunited families. Violations of Asylum Law: Attorney General Sessions’ recent announcement that domestic and gang violence will no longer be considered grounds for asylum is the latest in an ongoing rollback of asylum seeker rights in the U.S. This opinion piece discusses the “gutting of our … [Read more...]
Araceli and Alicia: The Perils of a Desert Crossing
Araceli and Alicia, sisters from Mexico City, left their home to pursue greater opportunities, earn money to go to school, and escape a cycle of poverty. Instead they found harsh desert conditions, sexual harassment, and an impasse. But they also found reasons for hope and acts of kindness. In Mexico City, Araceli (26) worked as a nanny, and her sister Alicia (30) had a job in retail. Each made about $200US a month, not enough to live on in an urban area, and certainly not enough to stay … [Read more...]
Violence in Nicaragua
When President Daniel Ortega announced a reduction in social service programs along with an increase in related taxes back in April, the proposed rollback tipped the scales for a public already burdened by more than a decade of government actions aimed at consolidating power. Nicaraguans reacted with outrage, and took to the streets and university campuses. The demonstrators, largely youths and young adults, were demanding democratic reforms through peaceful protest. Yet they were met with … [Read more...]
Call to Action: Support Human Rights in Nicaragua
Last month, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced legislation to address the current crisis in Nicaragua. The Nicaragua Human Rights and Anticorruption Act of 2018 would: impose sanctions on Nicaraguan government officials responsible for protester deaths, human rights violations, and corruption; call for a negotiated political solution to the country’s crisis; require intelligence reporting on corruption and human rights abuses; and compel annual certification by the U.S. … [Read more...]