Matamoros (Mexico), Apr 24 (EFE).- Agents from Mexico’s National Migration Institute (INM) warned thousands of migrants on Monday not to jump into the waters of the Rio Grande, but hundreds from Central and South America arrived to the United States by swimming to surrender to the Border Patrol.
For several weeks, migrants who are part of the families that live in a camp located on the banks of the Rio Grande (Río Grande in the US)), which lacks basic conditions and services, have been throwing themselves into the flow to reach US territory in his eagerness to speed up his entry into that country and end the wait in Mexico.
“We already want to cross, we can’t take it anymore (in Mexico), they harass us a lot,” Venezuelan migrant Mayerlin told EFE, who omitted her last name for security reasons.
Asylum seekers insist that the CBP One application, run by the Joe Biden government to register candidates to obtain legal passage to that nation, continues to have flaws.
In addition, they indicated that in recent days they have been victims of situations related to insecurity, such as the burning of tents carried out by allegedly armed civilians.
unsuccessful attempt
This Monday, the INM agents arrived in the area of the Rio Grande to ask the migrants to get away from the water and move away from the shore several who were about to throw themselves on inflatable mattresses, which they use to avoid the danger of swimming. but they carry the risk of falling into the river, an action that has already claimed the lives of some migrants.
The National Guard was added to these actions, whose agents dispersed the groups that sought to achieve the “American dream”, this without any friction, although there were several claims about the injustices they experience during their stay at the border. mexican.
“I’m a single mother, I’m already tired, I’m practically sleeping on the street with my son every day and I don’t have food to feed him,” Venezuelan María Hernández told EFE.
Minutes later, a few meters from the crossing closed by the officials, a considerable number of children and adults appeared who got off the side of the river and although an INM agent tried to stop them, he was overwhelmed by the crowd.
HUNDREDS CROSS
Through its official Facebook page, the United States Border Patrol reported that in the last 24 hours they had intercepted 1,600 migrants who entered the country through the Rio Grande, between Matamoros and Brownsville, as the flow in the region is named. of south Texas.
Now migrants use up to six inflatable beds to pass groups of four or fewer people, and in the same way children are also transferred despite the risk that travelers could fall into the water since many do not know how to swim.
In the reactivation of the crossings, the Mexican authorities no longer prevented it and only limited themselves to observing from the edge of the river the constant flow that persisted on Monday afternoon.
There are an estimated 3,500 migrants stranded in the city of Matamoros seeking to enter the United States legally or via the Rio Grande, including a growing number of migrants from Asia.
Jumping into the border river between Mexico and the United States is a common scene since the end of 2022, when Central and South American migrants also crossed the flow with high numbers regardless of the fact that there were US agents on the other side to intercept them.
