The United Nations Human Rights Council holds its 53rd regular session from June 19 to July 14, 2023 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
On Monday, June 26, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, Felipe González Morales, presented his report. As usual, after reading it, an interactive dialogue was opened with each of the country representations at the UN who highlighted some aspects addressed in the report or to present questions to the Rapporteur. Speakers from non-governmental organizations from around the world then offered their perspectives on the report.
Alejandra Conde, member of the Franciscan Network for Migrants of the Americas’ Advocacy Committee together with Franciscans International, participated in this session. She emphasized that in the Americas, “there are practices that prevent migrants from accessing regularization, such as forced returns, chain and collective expulsions, arbitrary detention and militarization of borders.”
Likewise, she presented specific situations in some Latin American countries. In Mexico, in addition to racism and the State’s slow process for regularization, the authorities often reject documents that prove eligibility for regularization. She denounced the situation of Brazil and Colombia, where these processes and those of humanitarian residence are exclusive to specific nationalities, and noted that in Panama the fees to apply are generally inaccessible to migrants. Lastly, she urged that, “States focus on migration regularization processes and the causes that prevent migrants from accessing these pathways.”
The day ended with a side event organized by Franciscans International entitled, “Obstacles to the regularization of migrants and asylum seekers – Trends and challenges in the Americas.”