For Immediate Release August 25, 2021
Contact: Renee Garcia 213-634-7615; rgarcia@immdef.org
LOS ANGELES, CA. — Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef) responds to yesterday’s unthinkable U.S. Supreme Court decision which will in effect require the restart of the Trump administration’s dangerous and deadly Remain in Mexico policy, known otherwise as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP).
Lindsay Toczylowski, Co-Founder and Executive Director said:
"This confounding and dangerous decision from the Supreme Court is truly shameful. At ImmDef, we are thinking of the countless individuals and families who have suffered unspeakable trauma under the Remain in Mexico program and are devastated that the Supreme Court would choose to put more people at risk.”
Joyce Noche, Legal Services Director said:
“Our hearts ache for the victims of this program, including a 4-year-old child held at knifepoint while his father stood powerless to protect him; the single mom with a special needs daughter who was sexually assaulted at a migrant shelter in Mexico; and the many children who we have met in shelters in the US who were separated from their parents as a result of this program. The harms suffered by these individuals and thousands of others are exactly what the Remain in Mexico policy intended and succeeded at doing; it was and will only ever be a program that inflicts actual harm on asylum seekers simply to dissuade those who need protection from seeking it.”
Meeth Soni, Director of Litigation and Advocacy said:
“We are left asking ourselves what will the Biden Administration do? Will it choose to be on the right side of history and permanently end the program or will it cower to the forces of xenophobia and white nationalism and further decimate our asylum system? There is only one choice: end MPP now and forever.”
While our entire team is profoundly disappointed at this decision, one thing remains clear: we will keep fighting until we have created a new protection system that welcomes all with dignity.
Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef) is a next-generation social justice law firm that defends our immigrant communities against injustices in the legal system. We envision a future where no immigrant will be forced to face immigration court alone. Our programs are a first step towards the long-term goal of providing universal representation to all immigrants facing deportation. ImmDef is now the largest non‐profit, pro bono provider of deportation defense in California with offices in Los Angeles, Adelanto, Riverside, Santa Ana, and San Diego.
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