Groups sue Mexico seeking to stop mass removal of migrants

Four migrant defense groups in Mexico say they have sought court injunctions to block what they call “massive” deportations by the government

MEXICO CITY -- Four migrant defense groups in Mexico announced Wednesday that they have sought court injunctions to block what they call “massive” deportations, arguing the government is violating due process and Mexican and international law governing asylum. The groups said one legal action was filed Sept. 3 in the southeastern state of Tabasco and another in Mexico City. The groups contend the government is acting illegally by expelling migrants “before dawn and at unestablished (border) points” and also by participating in chain expulsions of migrants first flown from the U.S. to southern Mexico and then carried over land by Mexican officials to the border with Guatemala. The migrants are not told of the possibility of seeking protection in Mexico, the groups said. The migrants expelled from the United States are removed under so-called Title 42 authority, a health provision enacted during the Trump administration with the justification of the COVID-19 pandemic, but continued under the Biden administration.