On December 20, 2018, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen announced that the United States will be returning migrants entering the United States from Mexico back to Mexico for the duration of their immigration proceedings. The administration spoke disparagingly of undocumented migrants who flee their countries to seek protection in the United States, as “fraudsters” who are “gaming the system.” In spite of a promise to uphold domestic and international legal obligations, the policy is legally dubious at best and lacks any clear coordination with Mexico to guarantee the safety and due process protections required under U.S. law and the U.N. 1951 Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocols. The administration stated they “expect” Mexico to provide humanitarian visas while asylum seekers await their court date and stated that – somehow – these asylum seekers in Mexico will have access to immigration attorneys. How thousands of destitute Central American migrants will have access to immigration attorneys to help them navigate U.S. asylum law while they remain in Mexico is unclear. Tragically, even the harshest immigration policies cannot deter families fleeing relentless violence and persecution. Access to counsel is likely the most important factor affecting the outcome of asylum proceedings. Creating even more barriers between asylum seekers and the network of attorneys and organizations that seek to serve them presents grave due process concerns.