Description:
Right now, people seeking asylum in the United States are being forced to wait out their claims in a place that could potentially be even more dangerous than where they're running from.

Both the U.S. and Mexico have agreed to expand the “Remain in Mexico” policy to Nuevo Laredo, an area of Mexico controlled by criminal groups.

We condemned this decision to send vulnerable people to areas controlled by criminal organizations.


Script:
Right now, people seeking asylum in the United States are being forced to wait out their claims in a place that could potentially be even more dangerous than where they're running from.

[Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas State]

Both the U.S. and Mexico have agreed to expand the “Remain in Mexico” policy to Nuevo Laredo, an area of Mexico controlled by criminal groups.

We condemned this decision to send vulnerable people to areas controlled by criminal organizations.

Asylum seekers in Nuevo Laredo are constantly exposed to extreme danger.

Some are detained for extortion, beaten and assaulted.

Some endure death threats, or get detained for long periods of forced labour,

Some are sexually exploited or forcibly recruited by criminal organizations.

[Asylum seekers in Nuevo Laredo face robbery, assault, extortion, kidnapping and homicide.]

The majority of our patients don’t go out in the street due to the imminent risk of kidnapping.

In fact, one in ten of the patients we treated at our mental health facility in 2019 had been kidnapped.

[ 378 patients treated by MSF’s mental health programs in 2019 ]

One in ten of them...

Almost half of the patients we treated this year in Nuevo Laredo had suffered AT LEAST one episode of violence within the city.

[Between January and May 2019, 45 percent patients treated by MSF in Nuevo Laredo have suffered at least one episode of violence in the city]

The US Government has even posted warnings against travel to this region.

They are telling their own citizens that this area is too dangerous for travel yet are forcing some of the most vulnerable people to wait in this region.

These decisions are increasing the suffering of thousands of people and putting real lives at risk.

We call on the U.S. and Mexico to put the protection of human beings and humanitarian assistance at the center of their migration policies.

Mexico cannot be considered a safe country for people fleeing violence.


Keywords:
Mexico, refugees, migration, trains, waiting for access, danger, homicide, violence, exploitation, kidnapping, mental health in Mexico, call to action, American government, Mexican Government, in memoriam