The migratory flow on the border between the US and Mexico, far from decreasing, increases daily with the admission of more than 10,000 people a dayaccording to figures from the Customs and Border Protection Office (CBP).
Migrants, mainly from Central America, Venezuela, Cuba and Colombiacontinue in their attempt to enter the United States, despite the critical situations they have to face, in the face of misinformation, fear and the desire to achieve the desired American dream.
“There are rumors that the border was closed “due to Christmas dates and that’s why we decided to rush in,” he told the news agency. AFP Rafael Johangel, a migrant of Venezuelan origin who managed to cross the border in recent days.
Their journey highlights the low temperatures recorded in the area and the terrible attention of the Mexican authorities, who on Friday, December 22, agreed with the United States to reinforce immigration measures to contain the extraordinary situation that occurs on the border. “It was strong, it was rough, the cold was enormous and the treatment on the Mexico side was fatal”mentioned the young Venezuelan.
Failed attempts
Joe Biden’s administration, which both Democrats and Republicans criticize for the lack of action in the face of the immigration crisis at the border, has implemented various programs in order to manage orderly migration. Among them, the humanitarian parole, the family reunification program, the CBP One application and the opening of offices in Colombia, Costa Rica and Guatemala. However, None of these attempts have been successful..
The number of migrants arriving across the southern border continues to grow exponentially. By the end of September, the United States closed fiscal year 2023 with an unprecedented immigration crisis, after having received the exorbitant number of more than 3.2 million immigrants, according to CBP reports.
More than 600,000 meetings in 2 months
According to data from this same office, between October and November 617,865 migrants entered the countryan average of more than 10,200 per day, maintaining the same pace that it registered during the last two months of 2023.
“The president understands the need to fix the immigration systemwhich has not worked for decades,” White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre indicated on December 21, while announcing a high-level meeting in Mexico in order to analyze ways to stop this massive flow of migrants. .
On Wednesday, December 27, the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken; the Secretary of National Security, Alejandro Mayorkas; and the National Security Advisor, Liz Sherwood-Randall, will discuss with the Mexican president the “unprecedented irregular migration”.
In addition, they will discuss how both nations can address “border security challenges, including actions to allow the reopening of key ports of entry” on the border, according to a statement from the State Department.
More migrants wait to cross the southern border
By mid-December at least 509,007 people had crossed the dangerous Darien junglewhich separates Panama from Colombia, to try to reach the United States, according to Panamanian authorities, a figure that doubles that presented in 2022, when they crossed it 248,284 migrants.
Mexico, which registered more than 680,000 irregular foreigners between January and November and case 137,000 refugee applicationsis not enough to address the migration crisis either.
“We are talking about two or three thousand people waiting to do the same process as us”said Venezuelan migrant Eldred León López.
He mentions that like him, thousands of migrants wait until night or early morning to cross the Rio Grande and surrender to the immigration authorities. “They come out of that cold river with wet clothes, it can give them hypothermia. It’s hard”he pointed out.
This week the Río Bravo, near Matamoros, in Mexico, claimed the lives of two young migrants, one Haitian and the other of Venezuelan origin, when they tried to cross into the United States.
This fact caused great commotion, when a video went viral of the last moments of the young people of 25 and 30 years of age, when they were desperately fighting to stay afloat in a muddy and garbage-filled area of this river, in which several have drowned. people.
Despite this, the migratory flow does not seem to be reversed. This Sunday, December 24, a new caravan with about 6,000 immigrants from various nationalitiesamong them families and children, left the Mexican city of Tapachula, almost on the border with Guatemala, bound for the United States, a few days before the meeting in Mexico, in which immigration measures are expected to be tightened.
“We have been waiting in Tapachula for three to four months… but we do not have an answer,” said Honduran Cristian Rivera.
The man, who left his wife and son in Honduras, hopes that with this walk “a change” can be made and they can obtain permits to enter the United States.
@ebritop22
Source: With information from AFP / AP
