(REUTERS) – Repression on the border between Mexico and the United States is putting migrants at risk amidst a Trump crackdown, rights group Amnesty International reported on Thursday (June 15).
Titled “Facing Walls: Rights Violations of Asylum Seekers in the United States and Mexico,” the report details alleged cases where migrants seeking genuine asylum from violence and poverty in Central America have been denied entry into the United Stations, in contravention of human rights.
Under pressure from the US, Mexico has also stepped up its focus on cracking down on undocumented migrants crossing overland from Central America.
Amnesty International’s Madeline Penman told Reuters that migrants are now being forced further underground to avoid border patrol officers.
US President Donald Trump has touted a ban on refugees into the country, including those from Central America. Many of those seeking a new life in America are themselves the victims of violence by Mexican and South American cartels.
The American leader has vowed to build a border wall with Mexico to stop migrants and boost the number of border patrol officers. But Amnesty believes such a move will not arrest the flow of migrants fleeing violence and poverty in Central America.
Amnesty’s report comes as Central American nations face aid cuts from the US. The aid would have been used to fight crime and encourage growth in the nations.
