Vulnerable children fleeing gang-fuelled violence in Central America are routinely deported by Mexican immigration officials regardless of the dangers they may face on their return home, according to a new Human Rights Watch (HRW) report.
Less than 1% of children detained in Mexico are accepted as refugees, even though about half are running away from criminal gangs in Central America’s violent northern triangle.
HRW found that Mexican authorities create a series of obstacles which prevent vulnerable children from seeking asylum, forcing thousands to return home despite serious threats of physical or sexual violence. Only 52 unaccompanied children were offered protection by Mexico last year.
In addition, children are routinely held in immigration facilities in breach of national and international laws which state detention should be used only as a last resort, according to Closed Doors: Mexico’s Failure to Protect Central American Refugee and Migrant Children.
In 2015, Mexico apprehended more than 35,704 children from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala – 55% more than in 2014 and a staggering 270% more than in 2013.
Children often flee after being targeted by violent street gangs amid little hope of protection from overwhelmed, corrupt and inept state institutions. In Honduras, most of the 400 children murdered in the first half of 2014 were thought to be victims of gang violence.
The sharp increase in the number of Central American children – and adults – detained by Mexican authorities began in July 2014 at the behest of the US. Mexico declared it would beef up its border security and clamp down on undocumented migrants after Barack Obama declared a surge in unaccompanied children and families seeking assistance at the US border a humanitarian crisis.
Thousands of immigration and federal security officers were subsequently deployed along popular migration routes as part of Mexico’s Southern Border Plan, and the number of detentions and deportations immediately surged.
Since then, there has been mounting concern among human rights groups about the treatment and indiscriminate detention and deportation of migrants, especially children.
Children are regularly detained in immigration holding centres even though Mexican law states unaccompanied minors should be handed over to child protection services, HRW found. More than half the children held in 2015 were travelling alone or without a relative, official figures show. Over 60% of the children detained in 2015 were travelling alone or without a relative, official figures show.
Immigration agents rarely inform children about their right to seek asylum or screen them to determine whether they may have viable refugee claims. Those who apply for asylum are bamboozled by the confusing, long process and are rarely given access to a lawyer. Mexico’s refugee agency has only 15 officials qualified to assess claims. The agency’s staffing remains unchanged despite its caseload doubling since 2013.
Some children and parents interviewed by HRW said they were frightened into dropping their asylum applications after immigration agents warned it would mean spending months in detention.
“On paper, Mexican law appears to provide every protection for children who have fled their home countries in fear of their lives, but the government is not giving adequate consideration to their claims,” said Michael Bochneck, senior children’s rights lawyer at HRW.
He added: “Both Mexico and the US – which has pressured Mexico to interdict Central Americans – should work to provide appropriate care and a reasonable opportunity to apply for protection for children fleeing danger.”
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