Our media report this month covers the arrival of the cruel and dangerous “Remain in Mexico” policy to Nogales, Sonora; Pope Francis’ Christmas message and continued integration of migrant and refugee rights into his words and actions; and the translation crisis that exists on the border, particularly for speakers of indigenous languages.
- Remain in Mexico arrives to Nogales: On January 2nd, the “Migration Protection Protocols” came to Nogales. Asylum-seeking families and individuals are now returned to Nogales, Sonora, but still have to travel to Ciudad Juárez—over 10 hours by bus and through dangerous parts of Sonora and Chihuahua—to their court dates in El Paso. In the meantime, many asylum-seekers struggle to find housing, are exposed to cold winter weather, were not given explanations of what is happening to them, among other abuses. Read more here: https://apnews.com/223bdc9cb7c54534237e3e6e7212eed4
- Pope Francis Christmas Message: The Pope’s annual Christmas message focused on demonstrating kindness to migrants, bringing comfort to those suffering, and working to end the ongoing humanitarian crises around the world. The previous week, Pope Francis placed a cross encircled by a life jacket inside the Vatican to commemorate refugees who have lost their lives in the Mediterranean Sea seeking safety in Europe. Read more here:https://www.npr.org/2019/12/25/791300471/in-christmas-day-message-pope-francis-shines-light-on-migrant-suffering
- Translation Crisis in Immigration Courts: Since the implementation of Remain in Mexico in Nogales, a number of monolingual Mam families have been returned to Nogales under MPP. This article describes the injustices indigenous language speakers confront in immigration court, the discrimination they face in Guatemala, and the challenges of interpreting in settings where not only is the language foreign, but the underlying concepts are too. Read more here: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/01/06/a-translation-crisis-at-the-border?verso=true
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