Social Issues

Mexican Refugee Commission expects 30% more applicants at southern border

Juan Manuel Blanco

Tapachula (Mexico), Sep 25 (EFE) – The Mexican Commission for Refugee Aid (Comar) predicted Monday a 30% increase in the daily attention of applicants at its new offices in Tapachula, on Mexico’s border with Guatemala, in the face of the new wave of migrants.

Daladier Anzueto, coordinator of Comar in Chiapas, explained in an interview with EFE that they used to receive between 1,800 and 2,000 people daily.

However, due to the migratory flow, they opened a new space in Tapachula’s Ecological Park to attend from 2,600 to up to 2,800 a day.

In addition, he stated that they will increase their capacity by up to 20% with the arrival of personnel from the Federal Undersecretary of the Interior.

The official acknowledged that “a massive wave of people always generates doubts” but argued that “there is no country that can attend them to a full extent,” referring to the continuous migratory waves, like the one that arrived in Mexico’s southern border during the last few weeks.

“Nevertheless, from the Mexican Government, with the massive support of the UNHCR (the UN refugee agency), and the different institutions, we face this new wave. That is why we are changing and have more reinforcements,” he said.

Mexico is experiencing a new migratory wave, as shown last week by the suspension of 60 Ferromex freight trains due to the presence of more than 4,000 migrants in the cars and on the tracks, demonstrations, and stampedes of thousands of migrants in the offices of attention to refugees on the southern border.

Within this flow came from Honduras Oscar Emanuel Leiva, seeking a humanitarian permit to reach the US after fleeing his country due to discrimination and gang violence for belonging to the LGBTI community.

“We want to cross Mexico legally so as not to have problems with gangs, or cartels, or anything like that, to do it well, not in an illegal way, so they told us that they would take care of us. We have been waiting in line for a week because they will catch and deport us to our country,” he said.

Another of the migrants is Cuban Juan Carlos, who asked the Mexican government to allow them to leave the border with Guatemala.

“The only thing we want is a permit to get to Mexico City to apply for the CBP One application (with which the US processes asylum requests). Here, we cannot. We are stranded. There is no work,” he said.

Last week, Comar attended some 10,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Honduras, El Salvador, Ecuador, Colombia, and, to a lesser extent, Guatemala.

“As we have said in different forums, as long as the causes are not addressed, the migratory phenomenon and the search for refuge will continue,” said the Comar official. EFE

jmb/ar

Related Articles

Back to top button