ARIZONA, USA — Human rights groups are calling on the Biden administration to consider the effects that climate change-fueled heat has on migrants when designing the government's border policies.
Human Rights Watch on Wednesday released the letter sent by 68 groups to the U.S. government, urging a new approach to actions on the southwestern border after this summer’s deadly heat.
The Southwest has become one of the fastest-warming regions in the U.S. as climate change increasingly wreaks havoc on the environment.
The letter says limiting entry to migrants hoping to apply for asylum can prompt them to make risky journeys through dangerous areas.
"This summer’s historic incidences of extreme heat further underscore the cruelty of the ‘prevention through deterrence’ paradigm and increase the urgency of adopting a climate-informed approach to policies affecting border communities, migrants, and asylum seekers," the letter stated.
