Government of the United States must halt all deportations from Latin America and the Caribbean, countries with lower transmission, to avoid worsening public health crisis in the region "Despite the risk of contagion and the implications for people's health, the US has continued to organise flights to deport migrants and asylum seekers [...]" said Marc Bosch, MSF coordinator in Latin America.

"Most of the countries to which the deportees are sent have fragile health systems. Any measure that contributes to regionally spreading the disease or putting people at risk must be stopped immediately," added Sergio Martín, MSF general coordinator in Mexico

Remember that since the end of March, the Trump administration has closed the US border to asylum seekers, creating an additional risk for people fleeing the violence who, if they are deported, will be exposed to the risk of Covid-19 and death threats.

The public health implications of continued evictions from the United States are not limited to Mexico. The Guatemalan President recently ended deportation flights to the country after the deportees arrived sick.

In Haiti, recent deportees from the United States were also tested positive for Covid-19 during the repatriation of 68 Haitians on April 7, https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30473-haiti-flash-the-united-states-expels-68-haitians-in-the-middle-of-a-pandemic.html followed on April 22 by a second repatriation of 128 Haitians https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30608-haiti-social-128-haitians-repatriated-by-the-trump-administration-arrived-in-the-country.html

MSF recalls that people awaiting deportation from the United States are often detained in centers for weeks, even months. These establishments in the United States have become ideal locations for the massive spread of the disease. MSF called on the American authorities to release the people from immigration detention in order to reduce the transmission.

"Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Haiti have very limited capacity for testing, surveillance, treatment... a major COVID-19 epidemic could be catastrophic. Currently, these countries do not have quarantine mechanisms that guarantee the safe isolation of people arriving from abroad and their full access to diagnostic and treatment methods."

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30579-haiti-usa-haitian-deportation-relief-act-a-bill-to-suspend-the-deportation-of-haitians.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30608-haiti-social-128-haitians-repatriated-by-the-trump-administration-arrived-in-the-country.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30583-haiti-politic-usa-will-repatriate-129-haitians-in-full-pandemic.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30473-haiti-flash-the-united-states-expels-68-haitians-in-the-middle-of-a-pandemic.html

HL/ HaitiLibre