As we marked a century of border communities fighting for our dignity, we want to reflect on the progress made and emphasize that this is not the time to slow down: the journey toward full respect for human rights at the border is far from complete.  Continue reading

  Biden’s announcement coincides with shameful turnback of refugees in WWII   Today, President Biden announced new executive actions that will bar access to asylum for migrants crossing between ports of entry when an arbitrary quota of encounters is reached. This will largely affect asylum seekers who are unable to approach the ports of entry because of language, digital and other access impediments imposed by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s government scheduling portal, which is only available through a smartphone and currently only in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole. Continue reading

Human rights organizations in San Diego, California, are responding to the inhumane conditions in which U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is detaining migrants in Open Air Detention Sites (OADS) along the US-Mexico border. The biggest law enforcement agency in the country is not providing any food, water, protection from the elements or medical attention to vulnerable migrants, including children, in their custody. Continue reading

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Catch Ricky Garza, Border Policy Counsel with the Southern Border Communities Coalition, who spoke with the hosts of "Speak Up Las Cruces", a program of Las Cruces Public Radio, this week. Listen to the full recording of the show at https://bit.ly/RickyInterviewLCPR Continue reading

  Click here to view the letter as a PDF The Southern Border Communities Coalition urges Members of Congress to vote ‘no’ on “Secure the Border Act of 2023” (H.R.2). This legislation would inflict incalculable harm on immigrant communities, asylum seekers and the millions who call the border region home and intentionally sow chaos and cruelty in our region. Continue reading

  Click here to view the letter as a PDF Statement for the Record House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security Full Committee Mark-up of H.R. 2794, the “Border Reinforcement Enforcement Act of 2023” April 26, 2023 The Southern Border Communities Coalition (SBCC) writes in strong opposition to the Border Reinforcement Act of 2023 that the House Homeland Security Committee will mark up on April 26th. The bill would violate human rights at the southern border by forcing the construction of a deadly border wall, expanding intrusive surveillance of our communities and harming migrating people seeking protection, violating our international commitments and signed treaties. Continue reading

  Click here to view the letter as a PDF   Southern Border Communities Coalition Statement for the House Judiciary Markup of the Border Security and Enforcement Act of 2023 Dear Committee Leaders, We, the Southern Border Communities Coalition, write in strong opposition to the Border Security and Enforcement Act of 2023 that the House Judiciary Committee will mark up on April 19th. The bill would violate human rights at the southern border by harming children, destabilizing families and blocking access to asylum, violating our international commitments and signed treaties. Continue reading

The Biden administration’s proposed new rule threatens human rights at the border and is an abdication of the United States government’s responsibility in the global community. The rule limits asylum only to people who were granted prior permission to come to the United States, are able to make an appointment to present themselves to the border using a faulty online app, or previously sought asylum in a third-country through which they traveled on their way to the United States. The rule undermines the right to seek asylum and the right to be treated equally before the law of the most vulnerable migrants at the border, including black and indigenous migrants, individuals who do not have the means to access technology while traveling or those who have to immediately leave their homes to protect their lives and their families. The rule does nothing to address the humanitarian crisis at the border caused by three years of using the COVID pandemic as an excuse to close the southern border to people seeking safety. It ignores the thousands of reported cases of violence that asylum seekers from all over the world have been the victims of while waiting in Mexico. Continue reading

Lilian “Lili” Serrano a proud fronteriza whose family has resided in the Tijuana-San Diego border region for three generations. She spent her teens in Oxnard, California, an agricultural town in Ventura County. Lilian has over a decade of experience working in community education, human rights advocacy, and social justice work. She became civically active as a High School student in 2006, when a series of anti-immigrant proposals in the U.S. Congress sparked a national mobilization for immigrant rights. Continue reading