More than 53,000 migrants turned themselves in to border authorities in the city of El Paso, Texas. Only in October an increase of 280% compared to the same month last yearand the largest increase in the entire southern border of the United States.
Many arrive barely wearing anything, wet or dirty after crossing the Darien jungle in Panama or the Rio Grande, which separates Mexico from the United States.
And in El Paso, while they search for a way to buy tickets to go to other cities, they face freezing temperatures in this precarious way, even having to sleep on the street.
Faced with the immigration crisis, Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared a state of emergency in order to allocate more resources and expedite the processes of migrant care.
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“One’s heart breaks, especially when there are children,” says Rosa Falcón, a teacher at a school who at night has built a support network with other volunteers and local churches.
For Falcón it is “inhumane” to see hundreds of migrants sleeping in the streets El Paso, with temperatures down to below zero, so one night he decided to shelter a family in his own home.
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State of emergency in several cities of the country
A migratory peak was registered in the last days, which led Mayor Oscar Leeser to decree a state of emergency to expedite resources.
On Saturday night, after the announcement, a bus arrived at the bus terminal in downtown El Paso, a frequent stop for migrants with few resources seeking to continue on their way to other cities.
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“Those who don’t have tickets until tomorrow can come with us,” said a municipal official as they got off the bus, explaining that they would be taken to a hotel to sleep under the state of emergency.
Given the enormous presence of migrants in Texas, Republican Governor Greg Abbott promoted the land transfer of migrants to other states to distribute the loads between the different cities of the country. However, Abbott did not properly clarify the conditions of the trip.
Fear was stronger than the cold and few accepted the offer. “I’ve already been through so much. What’s more a cold night? I’m very afraid to get on a bus,” insisted Santiago, a 23-year-old Colombian who is waiting at the terminal for a consignment from his family to buy a ticket to Lowell, Massachusetts, their final destination nearly 2,500 miles from El Paso.
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What is the reason for the increase in the arrival of migrants?
The southern border of the United States has been closed to migrants without a visa for more than two years under a controversial health measure launched by former President Donald Trump during the pandemic.
The call title 42 It prevents asylum seekers from appearing at the entry gates of the United States, which is why many surrender to the authorities in the breaches of the more than 3,000 km of border wall.
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After a legal battle, the measure must be removed at midnight on December 20. Local authorities in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California speculate that the border and the US immigration system will be put to the test.
Experts applaud the end of the application of the measure, which they consider discriminatory. “Here we are all in the fight, what we want is to work, it is an opportunity,” said a Venezuelan who crossed into El Paso illegally, avoiding the authorities, to avoid being returned under the application of title 42.
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“They have taught me to value more what the Lord has given me,” says Rosa Falcón while showing photos of the hundreds of people it has sheltered in these five months of volunteer work.
With her car, and helped by her mother, her daughter and her son-in-law, Falcón accommodates between four and five migrants in the living room of her house every night, in addition to offering them food and, sometimes, clothes. “I’m not afraid (to receive them). I trust in the Lord,” says the devout Christian.
“Even though I don’t know them, I feel like they are part of my family,” he says while his phone triggers notifications from his host operation. Falcón supports everything with his own resources, and in return he only asks for prayers. “They are my blessing.”
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AFP
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