Deportations in the Dark: Lack of Process and Information in the Removal of Mexican Migrants

(Press Release) The American Immigration Council released “Deportations in the Dark: Lack of Process and Information in the Removal of Mexican Migrants,” a special report that analyzes behavioral patterns of United States immigration authorities during the apprehension, custody, and removal of Mexican migrants.

Based on new survey data and testimonies collected by the Binational Defense and Advocacy Program, the study found that migrants are frequently deprived of legally required information, thwarted from contacting their consulates, compelled to sign documents they cannot read or understand, threatened with protracted detention, and blocked from applying for asylum and other legal claims.

“When migrants are in U.S. custody, access to relevant information and fair treatment are extremely important,” said Guillermo Cantor, Research Director of the American Immigration Council and co-author of the report. “When the authorities overstep their legal boundaries and deprive migrants of critical information or a fair process, migrants may be unjustly deported and also lose the ability to seek different forms of immigration relief to which they might be eligible.”

“This report reveals that from apprehension to expulsion, Mexican migrants suffer a host of violations, abuses, and ill treatment while in the custody of immigration authorities. These abuses are likely to worsen in the coming years as the new administration scales up immigration enforcement,” said Sara Campos, Independent Consultant specializing in immigration and refugee issues and co-author of the report.