Resources for Fighting Misinformation About Immigration and Our Southern Border

From the American Immigration Council (https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/):

The American Immigration Council was a leader in combatting misinformation surrounding our southern border this year.

We educated the public, held government officials accountable, and set the record straight on the evolving situation at the border that continues to impact hundreds of thousands of people each day.

Here are some of the resources we used to get the facts out there.

1. The Legacy of Racism Within the U.S. Border Patrol

The current situation at the border cannot be explained without first looking at how the Border Patrol came into existence. A long history of racism and xenophobia formed the foundation of the agency, leading to the sprawling and militarized group we see today.

2. Testifying Before Congress on Unaccompanied Children at the Border

Failure to invest in long-term solutions has created cyclical patterns of migration to the United States. At the start of 2021, the number of unaccompanied children arriving to the border started to rise again. The Council testified before Congress to discuss how to better protect all migrant children, families, and individuals arriving at the border—shifting away from the deterrence-based policies of the last few decades.

3. The “Migrant Protection Protocols”

The Trump administration’s creation of the Migrant Protection Protocols—also known as the “Remain in Mexico” program—fundamentally altered the landscape of the U.S.-Mexico border. Court battles and an expansion under President Biden continues to fuel this program, with thousands of asylum seekers still trapped in dangerous parts of Mexico awaiting their court hearings.

4. Council Submits Amicus Brief to Stop the Reinstatement of the Migrant Protection Protocols

The Council and our partners submitted an amicus brief asking a federal court to stop the reinstatement of the Migrant Protection Protocols. We argued that this humanitarian catastrophe never deterred migration nor reduced meritless asylum claims.

5. A Guide to Title 42 Expulsions at the Border

We educated the public about this little-known provision of U.S. health law. Both the Trump and Biden administrations have used Title 42 to immediately expel people from the border under the pretense of the COVID-19 pandemic. We explained that Title 42 does nothing to protect public health and may in fact impose a greater risk of COVID transmission.