Strategies for the migrant community in the face of Joe Biden's new immigration policies.
An interview with Tran Dang, Founder and Director of The Rhizome Center for Migrants
Spanish translation of this interview
Tran Dang, Founder and Director
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Tell us, who makes up the association, where are you located and what type of initiative are you?
The Rhizome Center for Migrants is a U.S. nonprofit based in Western Mexico. The organization was founded in 2018 in response to the sudden increase in deportations and return of long-term residents of the United States. Since 2018, we have served this community through legal aid, reentry support, and advocacy. Although we primarily serve repatriated Mexicans, we have also seen, in recent years, a growing number of deported Central Americans and other nationalities, including exiled U.S. citizen children and spouses, now living in Mexico.
- Is there a particular type of migration that you are targeting? And how is the support you offer to the migrant population?
The Rhizome Center for Migrants’ Mexico Project serves the repatriated community in Guadalajara, Jalisco. Through our cross border legal program, we provide direct services to migrants whose deportation implicates their civil rights, parental rights, labor rights, and their ability to access justice overall. Our other programs include community and humanitarian support for those who are having trouble getting back on their feet again. As our organization exists only due to the long-term effects of inhumane and inequitable U.S. policies on migrants and their families in the U.S.-Mexico border region, our ultimate work lies in improving conditions in the region for migrants and their family members.
- What have been the most common difficulties for people seeking The Rhizome Center? Describe how you have been able to resolve these difficult circumstances? What has been helpful for them and what has not?
The Rhizome Center for Migrants is located in a state that has, historically, been a major sending state of migrant workers to the United States. As a result, Jalisco is one of the states most impacted by deportation. People returning today have, on average, spent more than 15 years in the United States and often are forced to leave behind immediate family members, including spouses, parents, and children. Many of our clients did not have access to counsel in the United States before their forced deportation or return. Our post-deportation legal aid clinic provides individuals and families with information about the possibility of returning to help people plan for their future. We also help individuals navigate the U.S. judicial system, access justice and their earned labor rights. While we work tirelessly to improve the human rights conditions of the people of this region, we find that there is a lack of social awareness, government understanding, and institutional resources in Mexico to support returning and deported nationals. A significant part of our work this year will be dedicated to educating government officials and improving public policy in Mexico for the repatriated through the creation of new resources for their return.
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What changes in President Joe Biden's immigration policy impact the work you do? What strategies have you implemented in the face of these changes?
The President’s plan was recently introduced in both houses of Congress on February 18, 2021, As written, and if enacted, the U.S. Citizenship Act would provide eligible noncitizens deported under President Trump an earned path to citizenship. The Act would also make it easier for those already deported to return and provides additional protection and relief against deportation. Our biggest concern is that the bill does not address the culture of discrimination, mass criminalization, and incarceration in the United States against people impacted by poverty and the War on Drugs. We are also not clear how waivers and discretionary relief will be applied to grant protection to people who are otherwise not eligible for the Act’s most generous provisions. We’re monitoring this bill and other immigration reform efforts that address deportation and the rights of the deported and returned. You can follow our work and activities (informationals, workshops, live chats, legislative engagement, campaigns, calls for action, etc.) around these issues at our Facebook page
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How do you see the impact of immigration reform at the social level on the deported population in the following years? That is, what do you think happens to them in this scenario?
Immigration reform that addresses family separation and the right to return has the potential to effect enormous positive change in this region, where family separation and individual turmoil have become acceptable norms. If Congress passes the President’s immigration bill, it would provide some people an additional path to citizenship and would provide others with the possibility of legal return. This would have tremendous implications on the right to family, freedom of mobility, and the right to earned labor benefits for millions of people across North America.
- What recommendations would you give to the population you are targeting so that these new policies result in a better resolution of their needs?
It’s important for U.S. legislators to understand the harm that deportation has had on families, as well as individual health and wellness. If you’d like us to include your personal story in our legislative efforts, have U.S. citizen family members who want to engage with their members of Congress, or you would like to participate as an advocate, write to us at connect@rhizomecenter.org.
- Any comment or invitation that you like to make for the Redes' audience (civil society, migrants, students, academics, other associations).
Our policy recommendations for ensuring true family unity, found in our recent open letter to President Biden and bill sponsors, was supported by over 70 organizations; including all major deportee-led organizations in Mexico, Human Rights Watch, Oxfam, Church World Services, and others. As affected individuals and members of civil society and academia, I encourage you to read, support, and adopt these recommendations, and to center the deported in your own conversations, statements, and responses around immigration reform. Stay involved by joining our Facebook page, where you can also sign up for workshops. You can also donate to our legislative and advocacy efforts by making a gift at www.rhizomecenter.org/donate.
Website: The Rhizome Center for Migrants
