USA: Pushed into Harm’s Way: forced returns of unaccompanied migrant children to danger by the USA and Mexico

The governments of the USA and Mexico have deported tens of thousands of unaccompanied migrant children to their countries of origin, without adequate screenings for potential irreparable harm they could face there. Authorities of both countries have also denied unaccompanied migrant children access to asylum procedures through pushbacks at their respective borders. In some cases, this has resulted in the forced return of asylum-seeking children to ill-treatment (refoulement). As a matter of policy, the Biden administration continues to return almost all unaccompanied Mexican children to Mexico, while the Mexican government has likewise repatriated the majority of unaccompanied Central American children without adequately assessing what harm they could face.

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