By Luis De Jesus
May 3, 2024, 10:36 PM EDT
Amid an environment of growing tension, activists and undocumented migrants stranded on the border between the United States and Mexico warn of the increasing risks they face, including kidnappings and deaths on extremely dangerous routes.
In Ciudad Juárez, the epicenter of the migratory flow on the border with Texas, several worrying incidents have recently been recorded. In the last two weeks, a truck with 130 migrants and a house with 104 people kidnapped and overcrowded were found. In addition, four people were rescued in the Chihuahua Desert, with serious signs of dehydration, Efe published.
Francisco González Palacios, representative of the Somos Uno shelter network in Juárez and coordinator of the Albergue Vida, pointed out that since March the dangers for migrants have increased significantly. The imposition of checkpoints by the Mexican government forces them to look for alternative routes, exposing them even more to danger.
He highlighted that, once in Ciudad Juárez, migrants face new threats, since criminal groups stalk them at the entrance and near the Rio Grande, which marks the border with the United States.
Risks include extortion, theft and human trafficking. In addition, many run the risk of being detained at checkpoints and returned to their countries of origin.
This alert from activists arises after a joint statement issued by Presidents Joe Biden and Andrés Manuel López Obrador, in which they agreed to take concrete measures to reduce irregular border crossings and protect human rights.
Although López Obrador stated that irregular migration has decreased by more than 50%, he acknowledged that migrants continue to face significant crimes and risks on their journey.
Pastor Juan Fierro García, who runs a shelter in Juárez, noted that most migrants reject the option of arriving at a shelter and waiting for an appointment with US authorities. Instead, they choose to take risks on dangerous routes, the news agency notes.
The lack of information and confusion around immigration procedures further contribute to the vulnerability of migrants. Yocseni Bravo, a Venezuelan migrant, described the difficulty of her route and the constant fear of being detained.
The young woman told Efe: “We have been very hungry and hot, even if we have some money, we are afraid to go out shopping because Immigration could catch us. So we try to stay here as much as we can.”
In this context, migrants face not only the physical dangers of their journey, but also uncertainty and desperation due to the lack of safe and viable options to seek a better life.
Keep reading:
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• They find 407 migrants “abandoned” on three buses in southern Mexico
• The case of Gabriel Cuen, the Mexican migrant murdered on a farmer’s border ranch in Arizona