 Volume 7, Issue 10. October, 2020 ¡Bienvenido! Welcome! |
In this month’s newsletter, we look at the international obligation that countries have to uphold the rights of child migrants and how the US has fallen short of that moral responsibility. Our feature article examines the hardship that child migrants and their families have endured over the past few years, including those who have been stranded in Nogales for months, and in some cases, for more than a year.
We bring to you the story of Esmerelda, mother of four, who fled persecution in Guerrero, Mexico in efforts to provide a better future for her children. She has been in Nogales, Sonora with her family since last November waiting to formally present their asylum claim. Recently, her activism within the migrant community as part of the ongoing #SaveAsylum campaign has served as a source of inspiration for us to not grow weary in our advocacy efforts.
We update you on recent developments in immigration, such as Mexico’s decision to cut major funding for migrant-assistance programs and a report that reveals the orchestration of the 2018 “zero tolerance” policy landmark case. Additionally, we stand in solidarity with Indigenous O’odham groups that protested border wall construction last month and celebrate last week’s court ruling that said President Trump illegally allocated funds toward border wall construction.
On September 27th, we celebrated the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which Pope Francis dedicated to internally displaced persons who are modern day examples of Jesus who was also forced to flee. In recognizing our migrant brothers and sisters as images of Christ, we see their humanity and are inspired to accompany them on their journey to seek refuge and a life of dignity. We thank our supporters, who in many ways join us in this accompaniment and continue to help make our mission a reality.
Additionally we would like to recognize that due to a formatting error, the names of approximately seventy capital campaign donors were accidentally omitted from the print version of our 2019 Annual Report. We are very sorry and offer our apologies to those generous individuals and organizations for this mistake. The electronic version of the 2019 Annual Report, available on KBI’s website, has been corrected. A complete listing of the donors to our capital campaign can be found here.
In gratitude,
Rev. Sean Carroll, S.J.
Kino Border Initiative
Executive Director
Lifting Up the Voices of Children
In 1989, the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which recognized countries’ obligation to protect children and their rights, regardless of their immigration status or that of their parents. The CRC paved the way for nations to be held accountable to higher standards of treatment of vulnerable populations under the age of 18 and was recognized as “the first significant steps toward creating a world in which any child-even the most vulnerable separated immigrant child-can be aided to reach his or her full potential.” The United States played a fundamental role in the drafting of the CRC, which one United Nations member nation has yet to ratify: The United States. Read more…
Esmerelda’s Story: From Fleeing to Activism
The persecution of Esmerelda’s family traces back 13 years, when her father-in-law was attacked by a group of men from the community of their small town on the border of Guerrero and Oaxaca. Their family has lived a life of caution ever since, watching Guerrero succumb to delinquency and danger, permitted by a climate of immunity and inaction. “Honestly, there is no future in Guerrero. There is no future because it’s just violence. Violence, death, and killings…That’s all that exists in Guerrero.” Read more…
September Announcements
From wrapping up the #SolidarityAcrossBorders campaign to celebrating the World Day of Migrants and Refugees to welcoming the newest member of the Kino team, September was a busy month! Read more….
KBI Media Report: September-October 2020
Our media report this month touches on a variety of topics from border wall protests to Mexico defunding programs for migrants to recent reports that give insight into the orchestration of the “zero tolerance” policy that separated thousands of children from their parents in 2018. Read more…
September Statistics
