Thousands of migrants wait outdoors to be processed at the US-Mexico border

Thousands of migrants They are enduring low temperatures outdoors, without food and water, waiting for days to be processed by the Border Patrol along the border between USA and Mexico.

The situation is reaching a critical point as the number of migrants from different parts of the world crossing the border to request asylum increases every day.

Although there are no official figures, activists in Arizona maintain that there are approximately 1,500 waiting at the border to be processed.

Figures released this Wednesday by the Daily Caller News Foundation indicate that some 22,000 migrants are currently in custody in Border Patrol facilities.

According to this source, Border Patrol processing centers along the border with Mexico are located a 97% of its capacity.

Meanwhile, images of migrants waiting to be processed are repeated in different parts of Texas, Arizona and California.

The Hispanic television network Univision in Arizona reported on Tuesday having witnessed the death of a migrant of Indian origin who was waiting to be processed at the Arizona border near the Lukeville port of entry. That information has not been confirmed by the Border Patrol.

Migrants are forced to wait for several days while they are exposed to the elements and the low temperatures that occur at night, some of them without food or water. Many times they have been forced to light improvised bonfires to withstand the cold.

Humanitarian groups are unable to assist the migrants, who include men, women and small children.

The Border Patrol reported arresting 10,000 migrants along the border with Mexico on Tuesday alone.

The increase in the migratory flow in Arizona led Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to close the Lukeville port of entry for its agents to assist in the processing of migrants, while the Border Patrol has closed inspection points in roads with the same purpose.

Democratic Congressman Raúl Grijalva urged President Joe Biden’s government on Tuesday to allocate more resources to manage the increased migratory flow on Arizona’s border with Mexico.

In a letter, the federal representative for Arizona described the current situation on that state’s border as “unsustainable and an abandonment of federal responsibility”.

“We need an immediate increase in resources and staff in southern Arizona, but recent actions, including the closure of the Lukeville port, are unnecessary and even force migrants into even more dangerous areas as they attempt to exercise their international right to seek asylum. ”he highlighted.