2024 Reports

Right to Information During Migration: A Call for Transparency and Internet Access

Zimmerman, Anne; Lively, Cathy Purvis; Bowers, Olivia

People migrating need access to job listings, housing information, and information about asylum, other legal processes, and safe migration routes and methods. Based on universal human rights, the Principles and Guidelines on the Human Rights Protections of Migrants in Vulnerable Situations (Principles and Guidelines) include the right to information. The 2022 transportation schemes in which Governor DeSantis had two planes fly migrants to Martha’s Vineyard is explored as an example of a violation of the right to information. The governors of Arizona, Texas, and Florida have each engaged in misrepresentations about job opportunities, expenses, and the purpose of transportation to various cities. This paper contextualizes what was essentially a political stunt in an important human right, touching on other countries’ violations as well.