Activists and migrants on the border between Mexico and the United States denounced this Friday that the Texas government, led by Republican Governor Greg Abbott, transformed the razor and barbed wire fence on the Rio Grande or Grande River into a barricade of almost 3 meters Tall.
The reinforcement, despite a ruling that ordered its elimination, caused a more dangerous situation for those trying to cross between Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, and El Paso, United States, along 3 kilometers in the area most traveled by migrants. , published the EFE news agency.
The measure has been harshly criticized by activists, who believe that it significantly increases the risk of injury and death among migrants.
Juan Carlos López Morales, spokesman for the Diocese of Ciudad Juárez, expressed his concern for the integrity and safety of people seeking to cross the border, EFE noted. Additionally, he said many migrants have been injured trying to overcome the improved barrier.
The conflict persists despite court rulings that ordered the removal of the fence installed by the governor of Texas. The situation worsens after December recorded record migration numbers, with more than 300,000 migrants detained on the border with Mexico.
Former President Donald Trump’s visit to the Texas border with Mexico has intensified tensions. The Republican and potential candidate who will face Joe Biden, promised to close the border if he wins the elections next November, a promise that generates additional concerns among migrants and activists.
Faced with these measures, some migrants, like Karla Patricia Velázquez, choose to wait in shelters in Ciudad Juárez rather than risk crossing. The foreigner increased hostility toward migrants in the United States and highlighted the difficulties and risks they face in their search for a better life.
Biden asked Trump to “work together”
The president of the United States, Joe Biden, on Thursday asked former president and Republican leader Donald Trump to collaborate with him in finding sufficient support in Congress for an immigration agreement that stalled in the Senate due to rejection by opponents.
During his visit to the border city of Brownsville, Texas, he stressed the importance of the legislature passing a bill, negotiated by a bipartisan group of legislators. This project includes funding for immigration authorities, restrictions on the right to asylum, and assistance for Ukraine and Israel.
“This is what I say to Mr. Trump: join me or I will join you so that we can tell Congress to approve the bipartisan border security project,” said the Democrat after meeting with members of the Border Patrol and immigration authorities.
He also stated that the officials he met with expressed the urgent need for more financial support. “They desperately need more resources, more agents, more officers, more judges, more equipment to secure our border,” he added.
The agreement, the product of protracted negotiations involving White House officials, was blocked by the Senate Republican caucus in early February.
Immigration across the border with Mexico, which has reached record numbers in the last year, has become a central issue for both Joe Biden and Trump, who leads the preferences for his party’s candidacy.
Keep reading:
• Biden invites Trump to work together to pressure Congress on an immigration law
• Trump called migrants “terrorists” and blamed Biden for an “invasion” during his visit to the border
• Federal judge blocks Texas law that authorizes police to expel undocumented immigrants