Over a year has passed since a 2014 “surge” of migrant children from Central America drew attention to to treatment of migrant families and children on the border. But while the issue has fallen out of the headlines, there are still serious questions about the conditions within migrant detention centers and the level to which migrants are screened for protection from violence.
WOLA Senior Associate for Mexico and Migrant Rights Maureen Meyer spoke with Maria Teresa Kumar on June 16 about these issues, and the fact that many unaccompanied minors leaving Central America are in fact refugees. “Over half of these children probably qualify for international protection, meaning they are fleeing valid claims of violence, family violence, or violence by gangs in the street that would let them have some type of protection in the United States and Mexico,” said Meyer.
SEE ALSO: Mexico Now Detains More Central American Migrants than the United States
Meyer also highlighted the fact that Mexico has surpassed the United States in migrant detentions from the region, which in turn raises even larger concerns about due process and human rights abuses.
(Video courtesy of MSNBC)
