Border Patrol agents in El Paso, Texas, fired rubber bullets at Venezuelan migrants on Monday to dissuade a protest in which the foreigners peacefully demanded their entry into the United States.
Hundreds of Venezuelan migrants, who are in campaign houses on the border between the two countries, demonstrated on Monday to show their disagreement with the immigration policies that emerged a few weeks ago and that do not allow them to reach the United States.
The dissidents, who waved the flags of Mexico, the United States and Venezuela, walked on the edge of the Rio Grande a few meters from the border wall.
Precisely this action provoked the annoyance of the Border Patrol agents who monitor that sector, after which they fired bullets rubber to keep migrants away.
One of the foreigners who participated in the demonstration, the Venezuelan Daniel Segura told EFE that the objective was only to raise the flags.
“It was a peaceful message, so that the Government of the United States would listen to us and what is happening is a human outrage, they respond with weapons, if someone had passed by and they hit him in the eye, they leave him with one eye”, he stated.
She added that the protest was peaceful and pointed out that after the US government initially opened the doors of the country for them to cross, now it turns its back on them.
Ely, a woman also from Venezuela said that this violent action “is a message” from the United States government. “They attack us with weapons, we stand still, we don’t have weapons and they crush us, but here we are,” he said.
Another case is that of Guatemalan Joel Fernando, who said that they were scared when they saw how they harshly arrested an activist who just wanted to give information. “I hope they punish those who fired,” he said.
In recent days, Roberto Márquez, a Mexican artist from 60 years old, US nationals, and returning Venezuelans camping under the Paso del Norte international bridge in front of the border wall, cut and sewed fabric to create the flag of red and white bars and posted the protest message.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) expressed its disagreement with the most recent measures approved by the United States Government, in which announced the expulsion of those Venezuelan citizens who try to illegally cross its southern border.
Although the United States is not a signatory to the UN Migration Pact, it has the right to manage the operation of its borders, the entry of citizens of other nationalities and define the immigration status of those who enter its territory.
From 12 October, hundreds of Venezuelans are stranded on the southern and northern Mexican borders, because the United States closed its land border and only admits asylum processes to migrants from Venezuela who enter to the country by air.
The Mexican foreign minister, Marcelo Ebrard, said a few days ago that since the beginning of the measure, Mexico had received about 1.800 Venezuelans deported from the United States
According to Ebrard, so far this year were reported in Mexico, at least 33, Venezuelans who requested refuge when entering their southern border and pointed out that the famous Title 42 “is not an agreement with Mexico, but “a measure of the United States ”.
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