Zero tolerance on the US-Mexico border

  • June 10, 2019
Zero tolerance on the US-Mexico border

Stephanie Gabriela Lopez recounts her experience of watching immigration court hearings on the US-Mexico border.

I realised that the judge was asking immigrants, with limited resources, money, language skills and time, to produce work that typically takes attorneys months to complete. 

Stephanie Gabriela Lopez

My first experience witnessing immigration court proceedings inside a detention facility was on the US-Mexico border. It was July 2018 and the family separation crisis was at its peak.

Because the US government was not forthcoming with information, a network of non-profit organisations had come together to help reunite separated families. After taking a seat in court, I watched as detainees from Latin America and Africa filed into the room.

It was heartbreaking to witness the callousness of the court, which expected this group of immigrants, who did not know where their children were, to navigate the complex world of US immigration law in one short hearing. Some detainees tried to explain why they had travelled to the US, but the judge did not listen to their claims and quickly asked if they chose to represent themselves or needed more time to find counsel.

If they decide to self-represent, the judge instructed them to fill out an asylum application and to provide all the necessary documentation to support their claims.

Having worked at Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), a non-profit that provides legal representation for immigrant and refugee children, I realised that the judge was asking immigrants, with limited resources, money, language skills and time, to produce work that typically takes attorneys months to complete. 

As I sat there watching the proceedings, I thought to myself; maybe if they asked for more time, they would find an attorney who could help them. However, for most of them, this would mean spending more time apart from their children, being subjected to abuse and coercion in detention and making phone calls that they could not afford.

As I continued working with this population, I witnessed how immigration officials coerced hundreds of parents into signing documents they did not understand, including their own deportation orders and adoption papers for their children.

It has now been months since that trip and I am still bearing witness to the pain and trauma the US government inflicts on immigrant children and families. Nevertheless, I also see the strength and resilience that propels these families forward and that gives me hope.

*Stephanie Gabriela Lopez [2014] did an MPhil in Latin American Studies. She is now a human rights advocate, who is passionate about advancing the rights of immigrants and children in the United States and around the world. This article is published in the current edition of The Scholar magazine. Picture credit: Nitish Meena on Unsplash.jpg

Stephanie Gabriela Lopez-Kessinger

Stephanie Gabriela Lopez-Kessinger

  • Alumni
  • United States
  • 2014 MPhil Latin American Studies
  • Pembroke College

Stephanie Gabriela Lopez is the Program Director at LatinasRepresent, an initiative that seeks to increase the number and diversity of Latinas who pursue public service opportunities in the United States. In this role, she oversees and manages strategic planning, development, programming, communications, and coalition work. She is a first-generation Salvadoran-American with experience in international education, children's rights, and immigration advocacy. She earned a Master's degree in Latin American Studies from the University of Cambridge, while on a Gates Cambridge Scholarship, and holds an undergraduate degree in political science and mass communication and journalism from California State University, Fresno.

Latest News

What does it mean to see the world as a zero-sum competition?

It’s an age-old question: Why don’t people cooperate even when it is in their best interest to do so? It’s also an urgent question as we face huge global challenges mired in conflict and polarisation. A new paper in The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology offers fresh psychological insights into this question through the lens […]

Breaking through the health boundaries

Ghufran Al Sayed was beginning her clinical work as a medical student in Manchester when Covid hit. Like many medical students at the time, she was redeployed onto Covid wards and the experience was hugely challenging. It also made her rethink what she wanted from a career in medicine. Ghufran’s parents had raised her with […]

New thinking for education leaders

A Gates Cambridge Scholar has co-authored a new book which is being described by leading educationalists as transforming the way schools think about change. The Pruning Principle offers a new approach to educational leadership, drawing inspiration from horticulture to address the chronic issues of overwork and inefficiency in schools. The authors, Gates Cambridge Scholar Dr Simon […]

A passion for biotech innovation in Africa

Taryn Adams has long been interested in bridging the gap between science and business in order to ensure science has practical, useful applications. Coming from South Africa, she says the innovation that results from linking science and business, particularly in biotech, is still in its early stages, but she feels there is room to make […]