Erin B. Corcoran, executive director at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and associate teaching professor at the University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs: “Closing four U.N. refugee offices in Mexico will have devastating consequences for individuals fleeing persecution and harm in the region. The U.N. refugee agency’s primary mission is to work with host and transit countries to ensure legal protection for refugees. The agency has made significant progress with the Mexican government to strengthen its capacity to receive asylum seekers, including assisting civil society organizations that provide legal services. They also work closely with the Catholic Church to offer basic humanitarian assistance, including food, shelter and basic medical care. Through these programs, individuals have secured stable housing and gainful employment, demonstrating the effectiveness of local integration. Without these services, refugees and migrants’ lives and livelihoods are at risk. The region is…”