Injustice Continues: The Border in a Post-COVID World

It’s June 2023, and the government just changed the rules again for asylum seekers at the southern border. So what is going on right now at the southern border? We have talked in previous episodes about Title 42, the public health law that was used as a pretext to block asylum seekers from entering the U.S. during the pandemic. On May 12, the administration ended Title 42 and rolled out a new set of policies aimed at reducing the number of asylum seekers who enter the U.S. every day, including requiring people to sign up for a limited number of daily appointments on a mobile phone app. So how is this all playing out for people?In this episode we talk with Laura Peña, Director of ProBar, which is part of the American Bar Association and provides legal services to immigrants in Harlingen, Texas. Harlingen is in the Rio Grande Valley, right across the border from Matamoros, Mexico. Laura is an immigration expert who has held many directing positions, including working at the Department of State under the Obama Administration, and leading the Beyond Borders program at the Texas Civil Rights Project.. Laura is from the Rio Grande Valley herself, and she also hosts her own podcast, Valle de Sueños. It’s the story of a 10-day journey by border advocates to shut down a refugee encampment in Matamoros, Mexico.Music: Gymnopedie No. 3 - Wahneta Meixsell