US immigration policy keeps migrants stranded in Mexico on edge

Authorities are boasting of a drop in the migration flow a month after the start of new US restrictions on Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, but the migrants who remain stranded on Mexico’s northern border face a more uncertain future.

Activists point out that undocumented people who remain in cities like Tijuana live with uncertainty and fear because they cannot be entitled to asylum due to the restrictions of US policy.

José María García Lara, activist and director of the Juventud 2000 shelter, which is located one kilometer from the border port of San Ysidro, told EFE that migrants who were already in Mexican territory are not reaching the borders.

“We have observed that the fluidity of these communities towards the shelters has decreased a bit, we do not know if they are staying in other places, because let us remember that with the CBP One application it allows them to request asylum from anywhere more easily”, said.

The activist added that they recently had three families from Venezuela in their shelter, of which two managed to enter the United States to request their asylum, who point out that the program is good because it gives facilities to those who are still in their country.

“But those who are already here, those who stayed, are waiting; they managed to arrive from the southern border, from their place of origin and cross the entire country, but they are waiting to be able to enter that program and they are informed of it”, he highlighted.

They demand responsibility from the US Government.

García Lara also pointed out that this program has allowed them to have a lighter load in the shelters given this decrease in the migratory flow of people from these countries, however, he asked the US Government “to take charge of these programs of help”.

“Especially for people seeking support for their refuge in the United States, since many have been fleeing due to insecurity problems, we understand that, although it is a process, it has been becoming saturated.“, said.

Édgar Mendoza, originally from Venezuela, told EFE that he has been in Mexico for two months trying to request asylum in the United States but has not been able to, even when he has processed it with these new immigration policies.

“We have been participating from the application, from which we have not had any results so far, we get up at six (in the morning), which is when you have access to the page (for the online procedure), but there is no space to one“, said.

Program will generate return of migrants

Rafael Alonso Hernández, a researcher at the Department of Social Studies at El Colegio de la Frontera Norte (Colef), said in a statement that now it must also be taken into account that at some point with this program there will be several returns of migrants to Mexico, for which should clarify that picture.

In addition to the above, the specialist refers that such are the risk conditions of the countries of origin that, despite the difficulties of the journey or the conditions in Ciudad Juárez or Tijuana, for example, they prefer to make the journey and maintain the hope of get to the United States.

“Given this scenario, we must be attentive to the response by the Mexican government to this US return policy, and the actions that are undertaken to safeguard the well-being of the migrant population.”, he pointed out.