A new guide developed by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) with the support of partners organizations across the Mesoamerican region is now available for people who have been deported or coerced into returning to Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Costa Rica. The guide – called Crossing South (Regresando al sur in Spanish) – is available in English and Spanish online here.
The guide provides important information such as a list of essential travel documents, know your rights materials, tips about navigating the country one is being deported to, and contact information for local support organizations and shelters. Many people may spend months in detention before being deported, often with little information about what to expect or where to find support. Forced return can happen suddenly, making access to reliable information especially essential. Crossing South complements and connects with existing accompaniment processes across the region, building on the work of human rights organizations and civil society groups. AFSC and its partners will share the guide through migrant-serving organizations, community networks, and digital channels to help ensure it reaches those who need it most."
All people, regardless of their immigration status, have the right to have their integrity, their life, and their dignity protected,” said Marcia Aguiluz, AFSC's Regional Director for Latin America and Caribbean. “This can be ensured only when we place human rights and dignity at the center of immigration policies. While we continue to advocate for just migration policies and push back against forced deportation, simultaneously we created this resource to help prepare people who are victims of the cruel U.S. immigration system," It is important that people facing deportation are equipped with the information they need to keep them and their family as safe as possible. This can also help them make informed decisions about their future.”
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is a Quaker organization that has worked with immigrants and refugees for over 100 years. Crossing South started as a project of AFSC's Colorado Immigrant Rights Program in 2019. Since then, AFSC staff across the United States and Latin America have expanded and updated their platform to provide practical, reliable, and accessible information grounded in a human rights approach. The organization plans to grow the scope of these resources to include other countries where the Trump administration continues to forcibly deport people.
“The immigration system in the U.S. is based on years of policies that do not recognize the needs of individuals or communities, or the root causes of migration,” said Amy Gottlieb, AFSC’s U.S. Migration Director. “It has now grown to an almost exclusive focus on criminalization and stigmatization while removing any remaining opportunities for people to legalize their status. AFSC works in the U.S and around the world in support of fair and humane policies that ensure that people can thrive wherever they are. The guide draws from AFSC’s decade-plus experience navigating the detention and deportation system in the U.S.; community-based programs in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Costa Rica; and additional research conducted by staff, volunteers and partner organizations.”
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The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) promotes a world free of violence, inequality, and oppression. Guided by the Quaker belief in the divine light within each person, we nurture the seeds of change and the respect for human life to fundamentally transform our societies and institutions. We work with people and partners worldwide, of all faiths and backgrounds, to meet urgent community needs, challenge injustice, and build peace.