The Trump Administration has been Engaged in Unlawfully turning away Asylum-Seekers at Ports of Entry along the Southern Border, in part, by Claiming a Lack of Space, saying that Facilities there are just too darn Full. But unsurprisingly, Depositions by Whistleblowers in Ongoing Litigation over this “metering” Process reveal this Lawlessness was knowingly Implemented by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Leadership.
One whistleblower, a CBP Agent stationed in Tecate, said: “asylum-seekers were being turned away, even though there were available beds and agents to process them,” as Immigrant Rights Advocates have long insisted. In a Deposition, the Whistleblower is asked: “So you were instructed to lie to people when turning them back. Is that right?”. The Response: “We were instructed, yes.”
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) late last year filed a Complaint with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Onspector General over this “metering” Process, which at the time Dictated that supposedly Only a few Asylum-Seekers, Per Day, could be Processed due to alleged Spacing Issues. CBP, the ACLU said in the Complaint, had provided No “data to back its lack-of-capacity claims.”
That’s because that was a Lie, Court Documents Reveal. Whistleblowers from within the Agency initially Questioned this Policy and went to CBP Leadership to ask that it be put On-Paper. That Request was Denied, so “[s]ome of these agents, then, in turn, blew the whistle on the agency and gave depositions for the lawsuit,”.
“The point of all the turnaways was to slow the flow of asylum-seekers, to try to reduce the number of asylum-seekers crossing the southern border," Erika Pinheiro, a Staff Attorney with Plaintiff Al Otro Lado, said: “And they knew that they couldn’t just write that out, because it’s just an incredibly clear violation of the law.”
This Unlawful Blockading of Ports of Entry has been laughably obvious. In just One Instance last summer, Border Officials told a Family of Asylum-Seekers at the Paso del Norte Port of Entry that they were Full and Turned them Away. But Unbeknownst to Officials, Oregon U.S. Sen Ron Wyden and his Staffers were Behind-Them after having Visited Asylum-Seekers at a Mexican Shelter. A Supervisor was called, and just minutes later they Passed through, like they should have been Allowed to from the start.
Officials’ Claims about “a few bad apples” at CBP is Bogus, it wasn’t just a Few Officers who were Turning Away Asylum-Seekers, it Actually was a Policy and Practice that was Directed from the Highest Levels.
The Agency was not worryed about Lawbreaking when the President told Border Agents to go ahead and Stomp on U.S. Asylum Law, because he’d Pardon them if they got in Trouble. CNN pondered aloud that it wasUunclear whether the Dangling of Pardons was a Joke.
This isn’t a Rogue Agency at this Point. They don’t care about Checks put on them by Congress or the Courts, and they’ve been Deployed Politically by this Administration to Shut-Off All Immigration to the United States, but specifically Asylum in the United States.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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