Migrants support each other for Thanksgiving in northern Mexico
Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, Nov 24 (EFE).- Migrants in northern Mexico supported other vulnerable undocumented migrants on Thanksgiving Day Thursday, preparing more than 3,000 meals over two days to convey a message of joy and faith.
At the Pan de Vida migrant shelter in the border city of Ciudad Juárez, refugees and officials cooked more than 200 turkeys to distribute to local guests and Venezuelan migrants on the banks of the Rio Grande.
“The message we want to promote is one of hope, loving each other, shaking hands. We saw the joyful faces of several migrants who distributed food to them, the children, and that is priceless, seeing them happy,” Ismael Martínez, director of the shelter, told EFE.
Yulisa Maldonado, one of the migrants of Honduran origin who helped prepare the food, said: “It is an unforgettable experience to help others – people who are just like you. I feel joy and happiness to be able to support them.”
Reyna Maldonado, of Honduran origin, also joined in the Thanksgiving celebration.
“It is a nice thing to support, because several migrants are out in the open, they are hungry and cold, their situation is very difficult, and we seek to give him hope that they can continue with their hope of being able to cross into the United States,” she said.
Daniel Santamia, an undocumented immigrant of Venezuelan origin who was a recipient of the day’s festivities, told EFE: “It took us by surprise that they also celebrate this here. We are very grateful and this gives us hope of being able to cross into the United States. I am still going to be able to go to that country. We thank Mexico, the people who have reached out to us.”
Venezuelan immigrants remained stranded on the border after the US government modified its immigration policy for citizens from that country on Oct. 12 and began to deport them to Mexico, locking most out.
The region is experiencing a record migration flow to the US, whose Customs and Border Protection agency detained an unprecedented number of more than 2.76 million undocumented immigrants in fiscal year 2022. EFE
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