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September 12, 2019

Reporters Barred from Secretive Immigration Tent Courts on Southern Border
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At the U.S. southern border, the first immigration court hearings of
Trump's so-called Remain in Mexico program began Wednesday in large
tents in Laredo and Brownsville, Texas. The program has forced more than
42,000 people who sought asylum at the border to wait in Mexico until
their court dates. Judges in the tent courts conducted hearings via
video teleconference, and lawyers reported multiple technical glitches.
Immigration courts are usually open to the public, but officials denied
access to reporters and residents who were there to observe. Meanwhile,
many asylum seekers waiting in Mexico say they face kidnapping and
extortion as the government there has failed to provide promised
humanitarian aid.


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