Activists in the Juárez-El Paso border region reported this Saturday an increase in threats and both verbal and physical violence against migrants who dare to cross into the United States. They described this cross-border situation as inhumane and warned that it could worsen with the sending of 1,000 troops ordered by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
They expressed that anti-immigration political rhetoric in the United States, in the context of the November 2 elections, is causing an increase in violence by the Texas National Guard. This escalation is being seen specifically against migrants trying to cross the Rio Grande on the border with Mexico, reported the Efe news agency.
This week, US President Joe Biden addressed the possibility of closing the southern border to stop the massive arrival of undocumented immigrants, a measure demanded by Republican leaders. At the same time, the Senate is presenting a proposal to the US Congress that would allocate funds for Ukraine, with the condition that it also serves to stop the migration crisis.
“We have Donald Trump who has said that if he were to win he would support the governor of Texas more to put more barbed wire and more National Guard on the border and thus intimidate immigrants so that they do not cross elsewhere; “Joe Biden assures that he will treat migrants with more respect, but we have not seen it during his administration,” said Ernesto Vasconcelos, a litigator specializing in migration.
He expressed concern about how foreigners, whose migration is an internationally recognized right, are still treated as criminals. He highlighted the inhumane persecution they suffer in both Mexico and the United States and criticized the unfair way in which these individuals are treated in both countries.
“Faced with this harassment by the Mexican authorities, seeing the organized crime that kidnaps them, migrants have no other option than to run to the neighboring country because it is their destination; and in the United States they find this fence and an armed Army, trained to kill, they have long weapons, lethal weapons,” said the lawyer.
He also noted that politicians often exploit issues such as immigration crises for electoral gain, especially before presidential elections.
Urban artist Yorch Pérez addresses migration in his art, highlighting a sculpture of a giant foot made from rods used to scale a wall.
“I have known many stories of migrants, they do not come here because it occurs to them one day or because it is very easy to come to the north and try to reach the United States, they migrate due to situations of violence or economic situations,” he said.
He also criticized the violence carried out by the Texas National Guard against migrants and the damage caused by the barbed wire fence that would be promoted by political discourse.
“It is important to consider the situations of the people who come in a situation of migration, the measures that the United States has taken to retain in such a harsh and aggressive way, it seems to me that it is not a way to counteract the same thing that they are generating.” , he expressed.
“We must give another solution, respecting international human rights and we have the right to migrate and move from one place to another, we all have to look for a better life and the United States is a country of migrants, they cannot try to cover that with a finger “That country was built thanks to migration,” he concluded.
Keep reading:
• López Obrador asked “not to vote for any candidate” in the United States who is against Mexico
• USCIS increases the price for citizenship starting April 1, but not for everyone
• The United States announced an increase in fees for certain immigration procedures and promised to improve the system