As unprecedented numbers of migrants are crossing into the U.S. and seeking asylum, Minnesota legal aid and resettlement agencies are seeing the impact—and it’s leaving many families in limbo.
That was the key takeaway from a community forum sponsored by Sahan Journal and MPR News that drew nearly 100 people to El Colegio High School in Minneapolis last week.
The panelists at “Beyond the Border: The Immigration Crisis, Up Close” examined the current state of immigration at the Southern and Northern borders. They also discussed major obstacles that immigrants are facing due to a burdened immigration system. They also explored what potential changes to immigration may lie ahead—and what people can do to prepare for them.
Panelists included Emilia Gonzalez Avalos of Unidos MN; Nasra Ismail, U.S. executive director for humanitarian agency Alight; John Bruning, with the Advocates for Human Rights’ refugee and immigrant program; and Jennifer Stohl Powell, legal director for the Immigrant Law Center.
Our discussion began by setting the context for where immigration policy stands right now. Bruning first took us to the Southern border.
“We’re seeing an unprecedented number of people that are fleeing their home countries,” Bruning said. “This has been exacerbated by climate change, by conflicts, throughout the world.”
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, border authorities encountered more than 300,000 migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border in December—a record high since 2000. The majority of migrants are seeking asylum in the U.S.
An asylee is a person who is seeking safety in the U.S. due to persecution in their home country. The designation is sort of like a refugee, but while a refugee applies for protection outside of the U.S., asylum seekers present themselves at the border.
“The reasons are so many, which is why it’s not just a border issue here for us. It’s actually around the world,” said Ismail. “These are not tourism reasons, these are vulnerable communities—much like my family when we came to America when I was really young—who are seeking safety, who are seeking shelter, who are seeking some of the basic things that we all are so lucky to have.”
The conversation then shifted to the local impact of immigration policy. A majority of the people coming through the border and to Minnesota are currently coming from Ecuador, as well as Cameroon, Russia, Ukraine, and other eastern European countries.
Bruning and Stohl Powell both agreed that the unprecedented numbers have placed a strain on immigration attorneys and legal aid agencies, because they’re unable to keep up with the growing caseload. The backlog in case processing has kept many families in limbo.
Gonzalez Avalos, for example, spoke about her father who came to Minnesota in 1992. For more than 20 years, he’s been awaiting an asylum interview.
“There are older immigrants who have already provided their strength and their labor to build stronger communities and who are now deemed as disposable,” Gonzalez Avalos said. “Human beings that once we’ve exploited, they are relinquished to the corners of society where there are no social services, no retirement, no health care.”
The number of people waiting in case backlogs like Gonzalez Avalos’ father has only grown, the panelists said.
“People coming in through the border,” Stohl Powell said. “They’re given a whole stack of papers. Some of the information is very confusing.”
She shared a story of a young man and woman who visited her office, mistakenly, for a check-in appointment with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Not only was the location of the appointment unclear for the clients, they also mixed up the dates reading “2/1/2024” as January 2.
“Can you imagine trying to figure out and make your way through this very complicated system with very little assistance and representation available?” Stohl Powell said.
One audience member asked about the trends of migration through the Northern border.
“We often forget that Minnesota is a border state,” Bruning said. “It’s a community that’s been very neglected. There’s strange processing that happens and that means we miss a lot of who is up there.”
He shared an incident of a family from India that froze to death crossing the Northern border last winter. Migrants at the Northern border often cross over the frozen lakes in the winter, but it’s also the most dangerous route, Bruning said.
“The harder it becomes to seek asylum and protection at the Southern border, more and more people are going to get pushed North,” Bruning said.
Despite the challenges undocumented people in the U.S. face, Gonzalez Avalos said they have been able to band together to advocate for their needs at the municipal and state levels while pushing for policies that improve the lives of all Minnesotans. For example, the Legislature passed a law last year allowing undocumented Minnesotans to obtain driver’s licenses. The state is also rolling out a new law to expand MinnesotaCare coverage for qualifying undocumented immigrants.
On the day of the event, Minnesota legislators introduced the North Star Act, a bill that proposes limitations on state and local officials enforcing federal immigration laws.
“It will ultimately be a really good thing,” Bruning said. “It’ll allow law enforcement in Minnesota to focus on keeping Minnesotans safe, not doing ICE’s job for them.”
We ended the panel portion of the event by looking at potential changes in immigration policy, depending on the results of the 2024 presidential election.
After establishing the ways the current immigration system has been burdened over the last few decades, I asked, “Does it really matter who’s president?” The question sparked some laughs.
“It absolutely matters,” Gonzalez Avalos said as audience members applauded.
“Politicians, presidents, mayors, city councils, representatives, senators, they’re not saviors,” Gonzalez Avalos said. “We have to organize, we have to take responsibility, this is a community we are building together.”
Ismail agreed and added that while she cannot comment on presidents or elections, policy impacts everyone.
“I have a hard, complicated relationship with this country and its policies, but I choose to be here, and I choose to vote, and I choose to sing its praises when it deserves it,” Ismail said. “But I also know, we can be better.”
When asked what motivates her, Gonzalez Avalos shared an emotional story that stemmed from seeing images of children separated from families at the Southern border.
“Back in 2016 when I was pregnant with my youngest child, I made a promise to my daughter,” Gonzalez Avalos said, as she teared up. “She was going to be the last generation to see family and children separation.”
Clarification: This story has been updated to better reflect the role of Alight as a humanitarian agency.
