On November 8, we accompanied this family in Mexico to attempt to seek asylum at a Nogales, Arizona port of entry. They brought their vaccination cards, since the U.S. began allowing international travel by vaccinated people that day. But the family was turned away, per Title 42.
The fact that vaccinated tourists are welcomed while vaccinated asylum seekers are still expelled proves the Title 42 public health order is solely designed to exclude migrants.
Title 42 serves no purpose beyond xenophobia and injustice.
Watch a U.S. Customs & Border Protection official tell the family the United States is not accepting people seeking asylum, announcing “I can’t help you”:
Migrants and advocates from the Kino Border Initiative protested nearby calling on the administration to reopen the border to people seeking refuge. The family and others said they’re seeking protection for their children. Having already fled violence, they remain unsafe in Mexico.
The woman below has a sign reading: “It’s important for the world to see the reality of immigrants as people, not as ‘an other.’ The majority of immigrants are just families looking for a better future for their kids”
