[ad_1]
Conditions are deteriorating in a camp on the banks of the Rio Grande River, where there are thousands of people Haitian asylum seekers Gathered together hoping to obtain asylum in the United States, because President Joe Biden is facing increasing pressure to stop deportation flights to Haiti.
Pictures from Reuters show that Del RÃo, Texas, across the river from Mexico, people with small babies and toddlers in makeshift shelters built with reeds.
Clothes were hung outside to dry, garbage was scattered on the ground, and parents bathed their children with a pot of river water and tried to find a shade in the heat. Immigrants and asylum seekers say that food is still scarce and there are not enough portable toilets.
In recent days, the situation on the US-Mexico border has aroused widespread condemnation, especially after the images Appeared Shows that US border officials use whip-like chords on horseback to intimidate Haitian immigrants and asylum-seekers trying to cross the river.
At its peak, there are as many as 14,000 people camping Under the international bridge in Del Rio, but since Sunday, US authorities have moved thousands of Haitians out for immigration processing and expelled more than 500 Haitians.
Mexico and the U.S. prepare on Wednesday Ride more Haitian immigrants and asylum seekers Away from the camp, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that deportation flights will continue.
U.S. and Mexican officials say deportation flights will continue [Felix Marquez/AP Photo]The Associated Press on Tuesday quoted two unidentified U.S. officials as saying that some Haitians had been released to the United States and allowed to handle their immigration cases, which undermined the Biden administration’s claim that thousands of people in concentration camps would be immediately deported. Public statement.
Due to food shortages and other harsh conditions in the United States, other immigrants decided to stay in Ciudad Acuna on the Mexican side of the border, opposite Del Rio. By Wednesday, about 200 people had set up camping tents and tarps as shelters.
Politicians from the two major political parties in the United States criticized Biden’s handling of the situation, and rights protection groups called on the president to stop Trump era policy This is used to immediately expel people seeking asylum at the U.S. border.
The authorities have ordered an investigation of US officials who used similar whips, and the Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, stated that the agents involved have been removed from their posts.
Deportation flights to Haiti are also Being scolded as “indecent”, Advocates point out that Caribbean countries are struggling to cope with a wide range of The political landscape is turbulent And the rising gang violence, and efforts to rebuild after the devastating earthquake.
Filippo Grandi, head of the UN refugee agency, also warned that deportation to such a turbulent situation may violate international law.
Most Haitians did not arrive directly from Haiti. Many people have tried to settle in South America before, but they have spoken about the difficulty of finding a job amid the restrictions and economic downturn associated with the pandemic.
On Tuesday, after meeting with representatives of the Haitian government, Mexico said it would provide repatriation flights for those who “wish to return to their home country.”
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The assassination of the president, escalation of gang violence and a major earthquake in recent weeks have led to the spread of chaos. [Ralph Tedy Erol/Reuters]At the same time, Mexico has begun to transport migrants away from the U.S. border and some migrants to the southern border with Guatemala by bus.
A Mexican official said that the government has flown about 130 people to the southern Mexican city of Villahermosa, and another 130 people to Tapachula on the border of Guatemala.
On Tuesday night, officials from Mexico’s National Institute of Immigration (INM) entered two budget hotels on a side street in Ciudad Acuna and escorted about two dozen immigrants, including toddlers.
At the same time, the Colombian Human Rights Ombudsman Carlos Camargo It was stated on Wednesday that about 19,000 people (mainly Haitians) had gathered on the northern coast of Colombia, where they hoped to cross to Panama and find a route to the United States.
Some have been stranded in the coastal town of Necocli in the northwestern province of Antioquia for several weeks, waiting to pass through Uraba Bay to reach the seats on the ships of Arcanti, which borders Panama.
After arriving in Akandi, the migrants began a dangerous trek Darien Jungle, Where they fought snakes, steep canyons, turbulent rivers, tropical downpours, and criminals often associated with drug smuggling.
In a recent report, Médecins Sans Frontières stated that criminal groups in the jungle feed on immigrants and that assaults and rapes are common.More than 50,000 immigrants cross Border Colombia-Panama border so far this year.
[ad_2]
Source link