(We occasionally will present and contrast view points that differ in insight. From time to time we will feature them here. Please read the articles below)
-Source-The Hill-
Article 1:
Migrant caravan crisis
This week, President Trump erupted in a serious of tweets that erroneously and dangerously assumed no one traveling from Central America or elsewhere is fleeing deadly violence.
This assumption is contradicted by the many personal stories our team at the Migrant Center hears weekly from Central American asylum seekers detained in Texas, as well as the country reports published by the U.S. Department of State.
On Tuesday, in an attempt to stop a migrant caravan from coming to the U.S., Trump threatened to cut off millions of dollars in aid to Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador unless these countries meet his demand to stop all migration to the U.S. Then two days later, on Thursday, Trump threatened to end his trade deal with Mexico and Canada, as well as to send the U.S. military to the border.
The Migrant Center has called on the governments of Central America to stand up for the international human rights of all migrants, including the right to seek asylum, regardless of what the U.S. government threatens.
We called on Central American countries to not give any credence to the U.S. government’s suggestion that they can and should turn away asylum seekers without having their claims for protection heard. This would constitute a violation of the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, the Convention against Torture, the American Convention and American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man, and other international law. It may also constitute a violation of domestic legislation.
Trump also suggests that countries can and should prevent their citizens from leaving — effectively locking people inside their country. This would not only violate the right to freedom of movement enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and other widely accepted international treaties, but may also make governments complicit in any continuing harm asylum seekers would experience in their home country.
Such policies would push more people into the hands of unscrupulous smugglers, who will take people on more dangerous routes. Additionally, it would also unnecessarily threaten the health and well being of migrants to process people individually. People travel together for safety, legitimately exercising their rights to freedom of association and assembly. We call on the governments of Central America to ensure that migrant caravans are allowed to remain together. Read more