The Human Rights Clinic submitted a complaint with the CERD alleging the discriminatory impact that the construction of the border wall has on indigenous peoples and poor Latino residents. In March 2013, CERD accepted the complaint and “requested that the U.S. provide updated and detailed information with regard to the impact of the Texas-Mexico border wall on the rights of indigenous communities, and any measures envisaged to reverse the negative impact of the construction of the border wall.” The documents can be found here.
In February 2017, the Clinic then requested that the CERD expand its early warning procedure to the whole US-Mexico border. In its request, the Clinic highlighted that Trump’s Executive Order related to the border wall comes within the context of broader discriminatory immigration policies recently adopted.
In May 2017, the CERD decided to accept the Clinic’s request to follow up on the negative impact of the Executive Order on indigenous peoples living in the border area. A copy of the letter sent to the US Mission to the UN can be found below.
