REYNOSA, TAMPS — As the sun fell on a makeshift camp town in Mexico less than a mile from the Rio Grande on Tuesday, hundreds of migrants gathered to share the news they had been dreading: their wait to cross the nearby border. to the United States had grown longer, long indefinitely.
Information that the US Supreme Court had extended a health policy that has been in place for almost two years and has virtually closed the border for many migrants spread through the camp, leaving hopes dashed and disappointment deep.. Roodline Pierre, 28, who was among a large number of Haitians gathered around his cell phones, shook his head as he described how he had escaped a long list of difficulties in Haiti with his wife and his 14-year-old daughter. months. Pierre commented: “We cannot go back. We gave up everything to be here.”
In a brief ruling Tuesday afternoon, the Supreme Court indefinitely blocked a previous court order that would have lifted the policy known as Title 42 and allowed thousands of migrants to proceed to a US port of entry and seek asylum in USA.
The policy, which US officials say is no longer necessary to protect the country against the coronavirus, allows for the rapid removal of many migrants who cross the border illegally., and large numbers have been waiting in Mexico for the termination of the policy. Instead, it could stay in effect for several more months.
Wait. In Mexico’s border cities, camps have been formed where Central Americans live waiting to advance.
THE ETERNAL WAIT
Pierre pointed to the dire conditions around them. People cooked meat on rusty grills and woodpiles. Children were running in and out of tents along the street. Waste and used personal hygiene items were scattered on a vacant dirt lot.
He added: “These are not conditions for children. No person should live like this. We want a better life and now we’re stuck here for a long time.”. Politics doesn’t make sense, Pierre said. He said if the US authorities are so concerned about people bringing COVID-19 into the United States, why don’t they test every person and allow the uninfected to apply for asylum?
A line of men, women and children had formed outside a nearby shelter, Senda de Vida, which has a huge mural of a man walking between two flags, the Mexican and the United States. Most of the shelters along the border have reached capacity and those unable to enter have had to find other places to sleep. Daisy Rezino, 26, who had arrived from Guatemala a week earlier with her two young daughters, walked away from the growing line, disappointed.
Her two girls huddled close to her to withstand the cold winds that the night brought.
Later, the woman mentioned: “There is no room for more people there. We’re going to have to sleep out here.”
Rezino had also expected more positive news. She wasn’t sure if migrants from Guatemala would be turned away at the border with Title 42 in effect, but she was afraid to try and face possible deportation.
In addition, he noted: “We experienced many adversities to get here. I don’t understand why they treat us this way. If only they saw the conditions in which we have to sleep here, without food and without a roof.”
Wait. In Mexico’s border cities, camps have been formed where Central Americans live waiting to advance.
RESIST THE COLD
Rezino and other migrants said the extreme cold temperatures became especially difficult during Christmas, particularly at night. Yet despite rising temperatures from Tuesday, many of the migrants camping out in the open said they were determined to stay as long as necessary.
For some, like Mario Vazquez, 57, and his friend Jose Lopez, 33, both from Honduras, returning home was no longer an option. Both men sold most of their belongings to cover the expenses of the trip to the border. Together with their relatives, they had been sleeping for the past two weeks in tents made from sheets and other rudimentary materials.
They were silent for several minutes after learning that their chance to cross and present their case before an asylum judge had been indefinitely postponed.
The men reported that they wanted to work in the United States, where relatives were waiting for them, and they would not be a burden. However, her request seemed to be out of her control.
Vazquez expressed: “I wanted to cross into the United States. But we will cross when God allows us to cross. It’s all in your hands.”
Lopez put her hands in her pockets and inclined her head to show that she agreed. c.2022 The New York Times Company
