From Forests to Frontera
Wednesday, June 18, 2025 - 12:00 pm
Virtual - Zoom
Event Details
From Forests to Frontera: Attacks on Asylum and Those Who Defend it
Date & Time:
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
12:00 PM – 12:45 PM EDT
6:00 PM – 6:45 PM CEST
Event Description:
To mark World Refugee Day, Human Rights First invites you to a timely conversation about the growing threats facing asylum seekers and the human rights defenders who support them. Drawing on two new reports—Danger in the Forest: Human Rights Defenders in Poland Targeted at the Belarus Border and “This is an Order from Trump”: Abuse, Expulsions, and Refoulement of People Seeking Asylum—this 45-minute webinar will explore the erosion of protections for refugees and the criminalization of aid on both sides of the Atlantic.
Speakers:
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Brian Dooley, Senior Advisor
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Robyn Barnard, Senior Director, Refugee Advocacy
- Eleanor Acer, Senior Director, Global Humanitarian Protection; moderator
Brian Dooley and Robyn Barnard will share firsthand insights into the legal, humanitarian, and advocacy challenges faced by those defending the right to asylum in Poland and the United States. The discussion will examine the broader global trend of criminalizing solidarity and offer recommendations for action and accountability.
Topics will include:
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Legal harassment of humanitarian activists in Poland and the trial of the Hajnówka Five
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Enforced disappearances and unlawful expulsions of asylum seekers under the Trump administration
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The impact of far-right rhetoric and policy on refugee protection
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Strategies for international solidarity and legal recourse
A brief Q&A will follow the discussion.
Register today to join us as we stand in solidarity with people seeking safety—and those who refuse to turn them away.
Learn more about this topic:
- DANGER IN THE FOREST: Human Rights Defenders in Poland Targeted at the Belarus Border
- “THIS IS AN ORDER FROM TRUMP”: Abuse, Expulsions, and Refoulement of People Seeking Asylum