The “turnback policy” at the center of Noem v. Al Otro Lado bolstered other longstanding tactics used by border officers to block people seeking asylum from exercising their rights, including lies, intimidation, coercion, verbal abuse, physical force, unreasonable delays, and threats, including the threat of family separation. Below are just a few stories of the families, children, and adults harmed by the turnback policy. 

Roberto Doe

Roberto Doe, a Nicaraguan father in his mid-40s, received death threats after participating in anti-government protests in his hometown in Nicaragua. Fearing for his life, he fled his country with the goal of seeking protection in the United States. Following his arrival in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Roberto tried to present himself at the Hidalgo port of entry in early October 2018. When he encountered CBP officers in the middle of the Reynosa-Hidalgo bridge, he told them he wanted to seek asylum. CBP officers denied Roberto access to the asylum process, falsely claiming that the port was full. Mexican officials then escorted him back to an office on the Mexican side of the bridge, where he was informed that he did not have the right to apply for asylum in the United States and that it was a crime to try to do so. Before releasing Roberto, a Mexican official told him that if he came back to the bridge and attempted to seek asylum, CBP officers would turn him over to the Mexican authorities and he would be deported to Nicaragua.

Beatrice Doe

Beatrice Doe, a Mexican native, suffered severe domestic violence at the hands of her husband. She and other members of her family were also targeted by a dangerous drug cartel and threatened with death. Beatrice fled with her children and her nephew to Tijuana, where they presented themselves once at the Otay Mesa port and twice at the San Ysidro port. On behalf of herself and her children, Beatrice expressed her fear of returning to Mexico and her desire to seek asylum in the United States. Initially, CBP officers misinformed Beatrice that the U.S. government had no obligation to help her or her family, that they did not have a right to come to the United States because they were not born there, and that she should seek help from the Mexican government. CBP officers subsequently coerced Beatrice into recanting her fear and signing a form withdrawing her application for admission to the United States. The next day, when Beatrice and her family returned to the San Ysidro port, a CBP officer misinformed her that she would be put in jail for three years if she returned to the port. Beatrice sought refuge at a shelter in Tijuana, where her abusive spouse subsequently located her and coerced her and her children to return home with him.

Bianca Doe

Bianca Doe is a transgender asylum seeker who was subjected to extreme and persistent physical and sexual assault in Honduras and Mexico City, including at the hands of Mexican police. Fearing for her safety in Tijuana, Bianca presented at the San Ysidro port, but CBP officers told her she would have to wait several weeks in Mexico. Fearing for her life, she climbed a fence on a beach at the border in Tijuana, but a CBP officer forced her to climb back over by threatening to call the police. Desperate for protection, Bianca returned to the port, but CBP officers turned her back again.

Juan and Úrsula Doe

After receiving death threats, Juan and Úrsula Doe fled Honduras with their 13-year-old twin sons. En route to Mexico, they were robbed at gunpoint by three men who took all their money. In September 2018, they arrived in Nuevo Laredo and sought access to the asylum process by presenting themselves at the Laredo port of entry. When the family encountered U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials in the middle of the bridge, they requested asylum, but the officials claimed that the port was closed, even though it was the middle of the afternoon. Juan, Úrsula, and their children subsequently traveled to Reynosa and tried to present themselves at the Hidalgo port. However, Mexican officials intercepted them on the Reynosa bridge and threatened to deport them to Honduras if they did not leave.