CIUDAD JUÁREZ – Elements of the United States National Guard reinforced the barricades of razor wire and mesh on the Juárez-El Paso border despite a demand from the United States federal government to remove this barrier that migrants and environmentalists called “inhumane” They said it is a risk to the ecosystem.
“It’s horrible to see those spikes, it’s something psychological that leaves you traumatized,” said Ecuadorian Érika Macías with her six-month-old baby in her arms, minutes after approaching the barricades and returning full of fear that her son would suffer injuries with the knives. of the wire fence
“I really see that fence as something inhuman, one has been fighting from several countries and one experiences many traumas,” said Venezuelan Eduardo Díaz while watching how a group of about 15 migrants managed to cross the fence despite the risk involved. .
In a clear defiance of the US federal government, which on Monday filed a lawsuit against Texas Governor Gregg Abbot for placing a buoy barrier and other infrastructure in the riverbed of the Rio Grande.
A dozen soldiers from the US National Guard reinforced this week the dangerous razor wire barricade just under the Reforma International Bridge, increasing it from two to three levels, leaving it more than 2 meters high.
The US Department of Justice on Monday sought an injunction to stop Texas from building additional barriers on the river and also asked a court to order the state to tear down existing ones on its own.
Although the lawsuit was filed as a result of the buoys, metallic mesh structures and wire fences with dangerous razors have been placed to prevent migrants from entering US territory and requesting asylum.
The Department of Justice says that Governor Abbott violates the Rivers and Bridges Act, which is federal and prohibits the placement of barriers or unauthorized obstructions in the Rio Grande (Rio Grande in the United States) and other navigable waters in that country.
“The law prohibits the creation of any obstruction to navigable capacity and also prohibits the construction of any structure in said waters without the corresponding authorization,” says the United States ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar.
After a 2-month trip from Ecuador, Érika said she found a frustrating and heartbreaking reality, similar to a war zone. She approached the foot of the razor wire barricades, where she was afraid that her 6-month-old son might get hurt trying to cross, so she turned back.
“With a child it is hard to get on, it is very dangerous for the baby, it is more because of him, one endures but the child does not. I really cried, seeing so much sacrifice… imagine the baby, I don’t want to see him bleed, ”he adds with a lump in his throat.
For Eduardo Díaz from Venezuela, jumping the dangerous barricade is not an option. “I don’t see these barricades in a good way, it causes psychological trauma to anyone who is weak, there are some who have died in the jungle, those who arrive here see that barrier and they crumble,” adds the Venezuelan.
Environmentalist Daniel Delgadillo Díaz, from the Front in Defense of El Chamizal, agrees with a part of the lawsuit filed by the Texas federal government that the barricades represent a great risk.
He maintains that there are surely animals trapped and injured along the razor wire barricades that stretch from the western border between Chihuahua and Texas to the Valley of Juárez.
