Chuck Darwin<p>“The Trump administration’s executive orders today <br>– launching mass deportations, reinstituting the ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy, <br>ending refugee resettlement, <br>and militarizing the border<br>—will tear families apart, <br>criminalize already-marginalized individuals, <br>send asylum-seekers back into harm’s way, <br>and directly benefit the criminal cartels that profiteer off of the vulnerability of asylum seekers at our southern border. </p><p>The human and economic cost of these policies will be staggering. </p><p>“Economically, communities and businesses will be destabilized <br>by large-scale deportations that strip American-owned businesses of both customers and workers</p><p> –not to mention the massive cost to state and federal governments to carry out the raids and associated deportations. </p><p>Many of the people targeted by these efforts have lived and worked in the U.S. for years, <br>-- contributing to their communities and raising families. </p><p>Such indiscriminate enforcement also raises the risk of legal residents being wrongfully detained or deported, <br>furthering undermining justice and due process. </p><p>“These policies do nothing to address inequality or the drivers of migration, <br>including declining democracies, <br>closing civic space, <br>weak economies, <br>humanitarian crises, <br>and climate displacement. </p><p>They do, however, violate the U.S.’s obligations to uphold refugee rights and human rights under international law. </p><p>“Oxfam denounces the criminalization of migrants, <br>the threats to asylum and refugees, <br>and the militarization of the border. </p><p>We will not be divided, and we will not let the progress toward a more equal future be reversed. </p><p>We are committed to advocating for humane immigration policies that respect the equality, rights, and dignity of all individuals, <br>and will continue working with immigrant rights groups to demand that the U.S. address the root causes of migration. </p><p>Seeking asylum is not a crime<br>—it is a human right, and we must act to protect it.”</p><p>-- Abby Maxman, <a href="https://c.im/tags/Oxfam" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Oxfam</span></a> America’s President & CEO<br><a href="https://www.oxfamamerica.org/press/press-releases/launching-mass-deportations-reinstituting-the-remain-in-mexico-policy-and-ending-refugee-resettlement-will-come-at-a-staggering-human-and-economic-cost-oxfam/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">oxfamamerica.org/press/press-r</span><span class="invisible">eleases/launching-mass-deportations-reinstituting-the-remain-in-mexico-policy-and-ending-refugee-resettlement-will-come-at-a-staggering-human-and-economic-cost-oxfam/</span></a></p>