Asylum Seekers Are Waiting at the Border Amid Extreme Heat and Uncertainty. Our Reporting Team Is With Them.

The crisis didn’t end with Trump’s move to reverse his family-separation policy.

Mark Helenowski

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A Mexican woman has been waiting eight hours at the border in extreme heat to claim asylum with her two children and her niece, whose mother was murdered a month ago. So have two Guatemalan women who have no phones, money, or idea where they’ll stay tonight if they’re not allowed into the United States.

Our reporting team is with them. Mother Jones immigration reporter Noah Lanard and filmmaker Mark Helenowski spent time with these women at the border crossing between Brownsville, Texas, and Matamoros, Mexico, as they document the continuing crisis at the border. 

The Trump administration finally ended its family-separation policy, but around 2,000 children remain separated from their parents. Meanwhile, administration officials have repeatedly said that immigrants with legitimate claims won’t face any problems if they come to official border crossings and apply for asylum. Yet many people like these women are being turned back or told to wait for long periods of time as the government claims capacity issues. For these people seeking safety in the United States, the promises of a chance to make their case for asylum ring hollow. 

Here, Noah gives an overview of the border crisis, which he’ll be covering in detail in the days to come:

Video by Mark Helenowski

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PLEASE—BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things it doesn’t like—which is most things that are true.

We’ll say it loud and clear: At Mother Jones, no one gets to tell us what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please do your part and help us reach our $150,000 membership goal by May 31.

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