NOVANEWS
“We express our solidarity with the Ecuadorean community; we reject practices that go against our compatriots’ rights and human dignity,” said assembly member Marcela Holguin. | Photo: AFP-Presidencia de la Republica del Ecuador
Rejecting the anti-immigrant policies of U.S. President Donald Trump, Ecuador’s National Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution Tuesday in support of deported Ecuadoreans and their families, reiterating the Andean nation’s duty to stand up for the rights of undocumented migrants in the United States.
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The 14-section resolution, which passed with 127 concurring votes out of 137 seats in the assembly, blasted the policies of U.S. immigration authorities that violate the universally-recognized human rights of U.S. residents who are not citizens. Additionally, the resolution supports the Ecuadorean government’s measures to reduce the number of those deported while assisting in the legalization process faced by Ecuadorean nationals abroad.
The resolution also requests that President Lenin Moreno establishes bi-monthly Cabinet meetings for the purpose of dealing with the concerns of U.S. immigrant communities. It also asks that the South American nation’s Foreign Ministry evaluates the deportation processes applied by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and apply diplomatic mechanisms ensuring that those facing removal be treated humanely.
“We express our solidarity with the Ecuadorean community; we reject practices that go against our compatriots’ rights and human dignity but we also call on strengthening and promoting contingency actions to prevent and reduce deportation cases and provide assistance to our compatriots in and outside the country,” assembly member Marcela Holguin of the ruling Alianza PAIS told Andes Agency, adding that the resolution is in line with the concerns of the people of Ecuador.
She explained that the assembly understands its obligation to promote the government’s Contingency Plan to reduce deportees through the Ministry of Foreign Relations and Human Mobility, the Ecuadorean body for ensuring the rights of the country’s citizens abroad and foreign citizens residing in Ecuador.
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“Protecting our immigrants’ rights is our duty and responsibility,” said Holguin.
Assembly member Doris Soliz, also of Alianza PAIS and head of the International Relations Commission, noted that international organizations would be informed about any human rights violations.
Meanwhile, assembly members from the far-right CREO-SUMA party stressed the need to “express solidarity with immigrants (by working) on laws to promote entrepreneurship and creating jobs.
In 2016, 1,137 Ecuadorean nationals were deported from the United States, but assembly members credit the country’s officials with halting the increase in deportations, despite Trump’s tough-talking immigrant-scapegoating rhetoric.
Currently, flights from the U.S. to Ecuador carrying deportees arrive every 15 to 20 days. The flights are conducted by ICE Air Operations, a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s detention and removal apparatus. The vast majority of ICE Air flights are destined for Central America and Mexico, with a staggering 33,000 deported to Guatemala over the course of 317 flights in fiscal year 2016 alone.