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| Asylum Seekers Say U.S. is Returning Them to the Dangers They Fled | Asylum Seekers Say U.S. is Returning Them to the Dangers They Fled |
| (7 days later) | |
| CORTÉS DEPARTMENT, Honduras — Yovani has a strategy for staying alive: He will not let anyone know he is back in Honduras, he will move homes every couple of weeks and he will stay indoors. | CORTÉS DEPARTMENT, Honduras — Yovani has a strategy for staying alive: He will not let anyone know he is back in Honduras, he will move homes every couple of weeks and he will stay indoors. |
| This is how much he fears the gang member who killed his brother, who forced two other close relatives into exile and who, he says, is trying to murder him next. | This is how much he fears the gang member who killed his brother, who forced two other close relatives into exile and who, he says, is trying to murder him next. |
| Yovani, 23, had hoped to apply for asylum in the United States. But when he and his family arrived at the border late last month, American officials diverted them to Guatemala instead. | Yovani, 23, had hoped to apply for asylum in the United States. But when he and his family arrived at the border late last month, American officials diverted them to Guatemala instead. |
| The action is permitted under a recent accord between the Trump administration and Guatemala. And on Tuesday, the administration began moving to tighten the southwestern border even further in response to the coronavirus crisis, adding another level of uncertainty to the fragile lives of asylum seekers. | The action is permitted under a recent accord between the Trump administration and Guatemala. And on Tuesday, the administration began moving to tighten the southwestern border even further in response to the coronavirus crisis, adding another level of uncertainty to the fragile lives of asylum seekers. |
| The transfer to Guatemala has left Yovani with no good options. Fearing for his safety there, he and his family returned to Honduras. And then they looked for a place to hide. | The transfer to Guatemala has left Yovani with no good options. Fearing for his safety there, he and his family returned to Honduras. And then they looked for a place to hide. |
| “We can’t stay in one place,” Yovani said from northern Honduras, where he, his wife and two daughters have lived since earlier this month. He asked that he only be partly identified, and that his precise location be kept secret, because of the threats to his life. | “We can’t stay in one place,” Yovani said from northern Honduras, where he, his wife and two daughters have lived since earlier this month. He asked that he only be partly identified, and that his precise location be kept secret, because of the threats to his life. |
| Getting killed in Honduras, he explained, “is super-easy.” | Getting killed in Honduras, he explained, “is super-easy.” |
| Trump administration officials last year created a policy that allows them to send asylum seekers to Guatemala to apply for sanctuary there. Their hope was that it would reduce the number of migrants reaching the United States. | Trump administration officials last year created a policy that allows them to send asylum seekers to Guatemala to apply for sanctuary there. Their hope was that it would reduce the number of migrants reaching the United States. |
| Critics said the deal may be a death sentence for migrants, because Guatemala has high crime rates, a nascent asylum process and few protections for those fleeing threats and violence. | Critics said the deal may be a death sentence for migrants, because Guatemala has high crime rates, a nascent asylum process and few protections for those fleeing threats and violence. |
| Since the transfers began last November, more than 900 Central Americans have been sent to Guatemala. But only 20 — about two percent — have formally applied for sanctuary there. | Since the transfers began last November, more than 900 Central Americans have been sent to Guatemala. But only 20 — about two percent — have formally applied for sanctuary there. |
| The rest have opted instead to face the risks of either returning to their home countries or heading north once again, hoping to find sanctuary in Mexico or try their luck, one more time, at the American border. | The rest have opted instead to face the risks of either returning to their home countries or heading north once again, hoping to find sanctuary in Mexico or try their luck, one more time, at the American border. |
| Supporters of the Guatemala-United States deal point to the large number of transferees who have left Guatemala as evidence that their asylum cases likely had little merit. Migrants and their advocates, however, say it instead reflects the dangers vulnerable people face because of Guatemala’s weak rule of law. | Supporters of the Guatemala-United States deal point to the large number of transferees who have left Guatemala as evidence that their asylum cases likely had little merit. Migrants and their advocates, however, say it instead reflects the dangers vulnerable people face because of Guatemala’s weak rule of law. |
| “To be here is almost the same as being in Honduras,” said Carlos Eduardo Woltke Martínez, a migrants’ advocate in the human rights section of Guatemala’s public prosecutor’s office. “You’re in the same neighborhood of the criminal groups. The conditions here are not a guarantee of your safety.” | “To be here is almost the same as being in Honduras,” said Carlos Eduardo Woltke Martínez, a migrants’ advocate in the human rights section of Guatemala’s public prosecutor’s office. “You’re in the same neighborhood of the criminal groups. The conditions here are not a guarantee of your safety.” |
| The conditions facing asylum seekers grew even more uncertain on Tuesday, when Trump administration sources said the United States would begin turning back all foreigners trying to illegally cross the southwestern border. | The conditions facing asylum seekers grew even more uncertain on Tuesday, when Trump administration sources said the United States would begin turning back all foreigners trying to illegally cross the southwestern border. |
| Under the new rule, set to be announced in the next couple of days, border agents would immediately return to Mexico, without due process, asylum seekers and others who try to cross the border between legal ports of entry. The sources said the rule would be in effect as long as the coronavirus remains a threat to the United States. | Under the new rule, set to be announced in the next couple of days, border agents would immediately return to Mexico, without due process, asylum seekers and others who try to cross the border between legal ports of entry. The sources said the rule would be in effect as long as the coronavirus remains a threat to the United States. |
| Until now, under rules currently in place, migrants who have chosen to return to their home countries say that even though they may still be in harm’s way, at least they can enjoy the protection and support offered by close family members and friends, something Guatemala cannot provide. | Until now, under rules currently in place, migrants who have chosen to return to their home countries say that even though they may still be in harm’s way, at least they can enjoy the protection and support offered by close family members and friends, something Guatemala cannot provide. |
| “The fact that they are not applying for asylum here does not mean they are not at risk,” said Rebeca Cenalmor-Rejas, head of the Guatemala office for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. “Going back to their countries doesn’t mean the threat never existed.” | “The fact that they are not applying for asylum here does not mean they are not at risk,” said Rebeca Cenalmor-Rejas, head of the Guatemala office for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. “Going back to their countries doesn’t mean the threat never existed.” |
| The agreement between the United States and Guatemala was reached last July. American officials brokered similar deals with the governments of Honduras and El Salvador, though neither of those have been put into effect. | The agreement between the United States and Guatemala was reached last July. American officials brokered similar deals with the governments of Honduras and El Salvador, though neither of those have been put into effect. |
| Those three Central American countries were the source of the majority of immigrants arrested trying to cross the southwest border of the United States in fiscal year 2019, and the Trump administration has credited the Guatemala accord with helping to lower migration flows. | Those three Central American countries were the source of the majority of immigrants arrested trying to cross the southwest border of the United States in fiscal year 2019, and the Trump administration has credited the Guatemala accord with helping to lower migration flows. |
| In January, however, a coalition of groups led by the American Civil Liberties Union filed suit against the Trump administration saying that the agreements violated American and international law by failing to protect asylum seekers from exposure to harm in Central America. A union representing asylum officers in the United States filed a brief in the case earlier this month in support of the coalition’s argument. | In January, however, a coalition of groups led by the American Civil Liberties Union filed suit against the Trump administration saying that the agreements violated American and international law by failing to protect asylum seekers from exposure to harm in Central America. A union representing asylum officers in the United States filed a brief in the case earlier this month in support of the coalition’s argument. |
| Also this month, Democratic lawmakers in the United States House of Representatives opened an inquiry into the agreements, calling them “illegal, dangerous and antithetical to American values.” | Also this month, Democratic lawmakers in the United States House of Representatives opened an inquiry into the agreements, calling them “illegal, dangerous and antithetical to American values.” |
| On Tuesday, Guatemalan officials said that owing to the coronavirus pandemic, flights carrying transferees under the accord would be suspended temporarily. | On Tuesday, Guatemalan officials said that owing to the coronavirus pandemic, flights carrying transferees under the accord would be suspended temporarily. |
| Yovani and his wife were circumspect about the details of the events that drove them from Honduras earlier this year. They said only that a gang member, for reasons they would not detail, began menacing Yovani’s family, killing his brother and forcing his mother and an aunt to seek asylum in the United States. | Yovani and his wife were circumspect about the details of the events that drove them from Honduras earlier this year. They said only that a gang member, for reasons they would not detail, began menacing Yovani’s family, killing his brother and forcing his mother and an aunt to seek asylum in the United States. |
| When the gang member started to threaten Yovani directly, he said, he fled to the United States with his wife and children. They crossed the Rio Grande illegally in late February and presented themselves to border agents, but said they were never given a chance to make their case for asylum. Instead, within days, they were loaded onto a flight bound for Guatemala. | When the gang member started to threaten Yovani directly, he said, he fled to the United States with his wife and children. They crossed the Rio Grande illegally in late February and presented themselves to border agents, but said they were never given a chance to make their case for asylum. Instead, within days, they were loaded onto a flight bound for Guatemala. |
| Upon arrival at the airport in Guatemala City, they were told they could apply for asylum there. If they did not, however, they would have 72 hours to leave the country. | Upon arrival at the airport in Guatemala City, they were told they could apply for asylum there. If they did not, however, they would have 72 hours to leave the country. |
| Fearful that the Guatemalan authorities would not be able to protect them from the gang member’s long reach, Yovani and his wife elected to seek safe harbor with trusted relatives in Honduras instead. | Fearful that the Guatemalan authorities would not be able to protect them from the gang member’s long reach, Yovani and his wife elected to seek safe harbor with trusted relatives in Honduras instead. |
| Updated June 22, 2020 | |
| A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico. | |
| The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth. | The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth. |
| The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave. | The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave. |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. |
| The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. | The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. |
| States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. | States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. |
| If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. | If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. |
| “I wanted to ask for asylum — not because of lies but because of something verifiable,” Yovani said the day after his arrival in Guatemala City, as he and his family waited for an overnight bus to Honduras. | “I wanted to ask for asylum — not because of lies but because of something verifiable,” Yovani said the day after his arrival in Guatemala City, as he and his family waited for an overnight bus to Honduras. |
| Several other Honduran asylum seekers who were recently deported to Guatemala said they had made similar calculations. | Several other Honduran asylum seekers who were recently deported to Guatemala said they had made similar calculations. |
| “I said, ‘Guatemala?’ It’s the same as Honduras!” recalled Jackeline, 29, a former office worker who was prevented from applying for asylum in the United States with her 10-year-old son. “The difference is that in Guatemala I don’t have relatives.” | “I said, ‘Guatemala?’ It’s the same as Honduras!” recalled Jackeline, 29, a former office worker who was prevented from applying for asylum in the United States with her 10-year-old son. “The difference is that in Guatemala I don’t have relatives.” |
| Even though a Honduran criminal gang had been trying to forcibly recruit her son, Jackeline said, she decided to return and hide out with her mother until she could gather enough money to fly to Spain and seek asylum there. (That escape route now may be impossible, at least for several months, because of the coronavirus outbreak.) | Even though a Honduran criminal gang had been trying to forcibly recruit her son, Jackeline said, she decided to return and hide out with her mother until she could gather enough money to fly to Spain and seek asylum there. (That escape route now may be impossible, at least for several months, because of the coronavirus outbreak.) |
| Only her mother and brother knew she was back in Honduras, she said. | Only her mother and brother knew she was back in Honduras, she said. |
| Alicia, 41, a former street vendor, said she and her 17-year-old son were fleeing death threats from a gang member in their town, and hoped to apply for asylum in the United States. But they, too, were given no chance to make their case and were diverted to Guatemala. | Alicia, 41, a former street vendor, said she and her 17-year-old son were fleeing death threats from a gang member in their town, and hoped to apply for asylum in the United States. But they, too, were given no chance to make their case and were diverted to Guatemala. |
| “Guatemala is the first place that they would look for me,” she said of the criminal gang in an interview this month in northern Honduras. “They don’t think I’m here.” | “Guatemala is the first place that they would look for me,” she said of the criminal gang in an interview this month in northern Honduras. “They don’t think I’m here.” |
| She has told only a few close family members that she is back, and she has sent her son to live with distant relatives on the other side of the country. | She has told only a few close family members that she is back, and she has sent her son to live with distant relatives on the other side of the country. |
| Yovani and his family are living temporarily with a close relative, and spending most of each day indoors. | Yovani and his family are living temporarily with a close relative, and spending most of each day indoors. |
| It’s an unsustainable way to live, they acknowledged, but it is the only way they know to avoid danger for now. Yovani thinks his next option may be to stash his wife and daughters with a trustworthy relative somewhere in Honduras and head alone to the United States. This time, however, he will try to sneak in rather than present himself to the border authorities. | It’s an unsustainable way to live, they acknowledged, but it is the only way they know to avoid danger for now. Yovani thinks his next option may be to stash his wife and daughters with a trustworthy relative somewhere in Honduras and head alone to the United States. This time, however, he will try to sneak in rather than present himself to the border authorities. |
| In the meantime, the family has been left feeling disposable to countries that, they say, should be offering them protection. | In the meantime, the family has been left feeling disposable to countries that, they say, should be offering them protection. |
| “If something happens to us, the United States continues to be the same country,” Yovani’s wife said. “Honduras, too. Guatemala? The same.” | “If something happens to us, the United States continues to be the same country,” Yovani’s wife said. “Honduras, too. Guatemala? The same.” |
| Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Michael Shear and Maggie Haberman contributed reporting from Washington. | Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Michael Shear and Maggie Haberman contributed reporting from Washington. |