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(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) issued the following statement after the Department of Homeland Security expanded the Migrant Protection Protocols policy, commonly known as “Remain in Mexico” to Brazilian citizens:

“Today, one year after the Trump administration announced the implementation of the dangerous and unlawful Remain in Mexico policy, DHS began depriving Brazilian asylum seekers due process and endangering their lives by sending them to Mexico, a country proved ill-equipped to safeguard the wellbeing of migrants.

“This attack against our core values should not stand. President Trump and the architects of this abhorrent anti-American policy must be held accountable for eroding our asylum laws and creating a new criminal ecosystem across our border.”

In May 2019, Congresswoman Escobar introduced H.R. 2662, the Asylum Seeker Protection Act. This bill aims to defund this shameful policy, which has impacted over 18,000 asylum seekers since its implementation in El Paso, and has been endorsed by: Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), Southern Border Communities Coalition (SBCC), Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), Latin America Working Group (LAWG), Hope Border Institute, ACLU, Amnesty International, and Save the Children Action Network.