Tijuana, Mexico
Dozens of migrants camping at a checkpoint in the Mexican border town of Tijuana were the victims of deception and despair of arriving in the United States, and this Saturday they attempted an illegal mass crossing by the International Sentry Box. Ysidro.
The mobilization began after noon when migrants, mostly Central Americans and Mexicans, from different states of the country received their second dose of the covid-19 vaccine from the Baja California Department of Health.
At this time a young man came out under a bridge shouting that the border with the United States had already been opened for migrants, so a first group, about 12 people between children and adults, took their belongings already running -cooked they headed to the border crossing.
They were later followed by another group and so on until they reached a figure of almost 250 people who tried to reach the US illegally, but their surprise was that when they tried to leave Mexico and a dozen of them were waiting for them. agents of the Office of Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
With suitcases in hand and among the vehicles bound for the American Union, the migrants began to harass and demand that they be allowed free traffic, as they understood that President Joe Biden had already opened the doors of his country. .
“We were in the Chaparral camp, calmly waiting for humanitarian aid and we heard that the borders were opening and we all came,” a young Honduran told the Mexican press.
“We were going to pass, but the racist people themselves started to put pressure, many people shouted that they would not let us pass because they wanted to go to work those who already have papers,” he said, justifying that the blockade in its path was racism.
It was just over an hour before vehicular and pedestrian traffic was blocked for U.S. citizens and residents, as migrants refused to move in the hope that at some point the border would be open to them. .
From February 18, 2021, migrants began arriving in El Garriga, one of the most modern border crossings connecting the United States and Mexico via Tijuana, Baja California, and San Ysidro, California.
To date, the governments of both countries have not been informed of any aid plan to remove migrants from an area that was built for tourism purposes, nor has there been a plan to take them. to some hostel.
This Thursday, the National Migration Institute (INM) reported that from January 1 to August 31, Mexico has identified 147,033 irregular migrants in the country.
Also this Thursday, Mexican authorities dispersed the third and final migrant caravan that left in recent days from the Mexican municipality of Tapachula, bordering Guatemala.
The caravans were made up of hundreds of migrants, mostly Haitians, Central Americans and Venezuelans, but security forces disbanded the caravans although UN organizations and agencies reported that Mexican agents employed excessive use of force.
Asked about the issue, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador revealed Thursday that next week he will send a letter to his U.S. counterpart, Joe Biden, urging him to address the “causes” of forced migration and offer visas. temporary work for Central Americans.