Global Courant 2023-05-12 06:56:03
The Border Patrol has detained in the last 48 hours 2,500 refugees who crowded at least two gates of the border fence between Mexico and the United States near the town of El Paso (Texas), hours before Title 42 is lifted, which allows the hot expulsion of people for reasons of public health.
After several days being agglutinated by the agents in 2 large groups at gates 40 and 42 of the fence, about 16 kilometers east of the city of El Paso, they were taken out first by buses and later in vans.
At door 40, they came out in a file, many with their heads down, some with their hands handcuffed behind their backs, and they were getting into the vehicles that, from before 7 in the morning and until 10:30, were loading up with the refugees and leaving in the direction of the Border Patrol detention centers.
After emptying the area where they were, between the fifteen-foot wall and the Rio Grande, still US territory, they proceeded to clean it of plastic and other debris left by the migrants.
At 3:15 p.m. local time (21:15 GMT), the process began at gate 42, where a thousand people were gathered, according to the national head of the border guard, Raúl Ortiz.
The detainees will have to be processed by the Border Patrol who will decide if they can start the asylum application process or if they will be expelled.
WAHINGTON IS UNBELIEVABLE AGAINST REFUGEES
The federal and local authorities of El Paso, both from the Democratic Party, have redoubled their efforts in recent days and hours to give an image of strength against migrants and normality at the border before Title 42 is lifted, which expires. at 21:59 local time (+6 GMT).
For his part, the governor of Texas, the Republican Greg Abbot, who has also ordered the dispatch of more agents to the border line, has tried to draw an image of chaos and danger with his usual xenophobic message.
Over the past three days, border agents intimidated and persuaded hundreds of undocumented refugees camped around the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in downtown El Paso to turn themselves in to authorities if they did not want to be killed. forcibly detained.
Likewise, in the last hours, the mayor of El Paso, Oscar Leeser, has announced that the city has 4,400 new beds to shelter migrants, but only those who have passed the Border Guard triage.
From Washington, there has also been an insistence on the tightening of anti-immigration measures.
After the expiration of Title 42, Title 8 will apply, the norm that has historically governed migration in the United States and, in addition, the Government of President Joe Biden has announced new measures that restrict access to the asylum application at the border with Mexico.
These new measures consider migrants who cross the border irregularly and who have not requested protection in a third country during their journey to the US “unfit” to request asylum.
A CAMPAIGN TO DETER NEW MIGRANTS
In parallel, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has just launched a publicity campaign to persuade Latin American migrants fleeing their countries not to enter the United States.
“Don’t listen to what smugglers say: find out about the US immigration system,” says a DHS message on its Twitter page.
This security department specified that the campaign will be carried out in countries such as Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Ecuador and Colombia, and the messages will also be disseminated “along the migratory route and on the most popular social media platforms among the migrants”.
“The coyote (people smuggler) ripped us off. Entering the US illegally is a crime. Say no to the coyote” can be read in Spanish in a text written in red and white over an image of a migrant family with two children on their backs, and which is part of this campaign.
On another photograph, but this time of a border patrol, the phrase is printed: “The immigration laws of the United States are still in force. Crossing illegally is a crime.”
Another snapshot of two migrants being put on a plane to be deported reads: “Crossing illegally is a crime: It has consequences.”
A third digital flyer reads: “The immigration laws of the United States have become tougher. The United States Government is making changes to increase the consequences for illegal entry into the country, beginning May 12.”
“These consequences include deportation, a 5-year re-entry ban, and prosecution of repeat offenders,” the message continues, before warning that “those who do not follow the legal path to enter the US may be considered as ineligible for asylum.”
