In Mexico, near the American border, a humanitarian crisis is aggravating, which arose against the backdrop of a tightening of US policy towards migrants. It is reported by RBC with reference to The Washington Post.
On May 11, along with the state of emergency introduced against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic, the so-called Article 42, which gave the authorities the right to expel migrants, citing the threat of the spread of COVID-19, ceased to operate in the country. During this time, the newspaper previously noted, more than 2.7 million deportations were made from the United States to Mexico.
Some migrants hoped that the abolition of this article would lead to easier entry, but it turned out the other way around. Migrants now face deportation if they arrive in the US via Mexico from third countries and have not previously attempted to seek asylum in Mexico. In addition, migrants must register for interviews through the CBP One app, which is intermittent. If a migrant is deported, then he faces a ban on entry into the United States for a period of five years.
In Mexico, in the city of Matamoros near the American border, last month the number of migrants increased almost tenfold, from 700 to 6 thousand people, WP reports, citing Mayor Juan José Rodriguez Alvarado. He noted that they are mostly Venezuelans. The head of the city explained the increase in the number of migrants precisely by the fact that they had hope for a softening of migration rules.
In total, about 27,000 migrants gathered in the border towns, the newspaper writes. Mexico deployed additional military forces to these areas to maintain order, but disarmed them.
Among other problems for migrants, WP cites Mexico’s tightening of conditions for them, such as the suspension of permits allowing them to transit through the country, and a severe thunderstorm that flooded refugee tents.
CNN, in a report from Brownsville, a city across the Rio Grande from Matamoros, also writes that most of the migrants are from Venezuela. Shortly before the repeal of Article 42, the number of arrivals from the Mexican side increased. However, for those who were able to pass all the control at the border, the problems do not end there, the TV channel notes. Some migrants don’t have the money to travel to their next destinations, others find out their family members have been deported back to Mexico.
Source: Rosbalt
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