It was quite the surprise to learn that the government has built tents near entry ports to hold court hearing of those seeking asylum. However, because the courts are held by judges via videoconference, the public is not allowed to be inside these tents during that time which has caused many people to question if these cases are being handles properly.
To make matters worse, many of these asylees are forced to stay in dangerous areas around Mexico to wait for these court hearings and are only allowed to enter the U.S for a certain amount of time. And unlike normal court hearings, advocates, journalist and other members of the public are not allowed to attend and only lawyers can be present during these hearings.
This has raised many questions about the conditions in which immigrants are being treated and the way the government handles their cases. It is also said, migrants are allowed to talk to their attorneys for fifteen minutes prior to their court hearings which is obviously not enough time for them or the attorneys to prepare for their cases.
As more tents begin to open, the government should become more conscious and think about the conditions in which immigrants are being put through before and during their immigration process. Individuals have rights and just because these individuals are from a different country this does not mean they do not deserve to have rights.
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