Following a rumor that migrants would be permitted to enter the United States, hundreds of individuals attempted to rush the border between the United States and Mexico on Sunday. About noon, a sizable group of people, mostly Venezuelans, started to congregate close to the entry of a bridge linking Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and El Paso, Texas, in the southern United States.
Some migrants told AFP they were disappointed by the time it takes to process their asylum claims in the United States after traveling thousands of miles through Central America and Mexico, and that they had mistakenly believed they would be allowed entry because of a supposed “day of the migrant” celebration.
Pictures shared on social media showed a throng of people, many of them mothers and kids, yelling “to the America” as they ran towards the border. They confronted cops with shields, barbed wire, and orange barricades quite shortly.
Enrique Valenzuela, a member of civic society who assists migrants in Juarez, stated that US border guards “of course” proceeded to close the bridge.
A 23-year-old Venezuelan named Jackson Solis visited the bridge on Sunday to determine whether the story was accurate.
“We all fled, and they encircled us with a barrier made of barbed wire. They attacked us with tear gas, “said said.
In order to set up an appointment to apply for asylum in the United States, where he wants to work, Solis told AFP that he had been waiting six months. Asylum applicants are now obliged to apply in advance rather than on arrival, and appointments must now be scheduled through a mobile app from Customs and Border Protection.
The Biden administration has been attempting to stop the record-breaking number of immigrants and asylum seekers who are traveling to the United States on often perilous routes arranged by human smugglers.
A contentious rule was expanded by the White House in January to enable border guards to turn away more potential immigrants who enter by land. Joe Biden urged at the time in a speech, “Do not just show up at the border.
Three people with direct knowledge of the discussions told CBS News’ Camilo Montoya-Galvez that since Mr. Biden ordered new asylum eligibility rules in a February 2021 executive order, there have been disagreements within the administration over how lenient the regulations should be. Mr. Biden took office promising to provide refuge to asylum seekers and end harsh detention policies for illegal border crossers.
While the administration is concentrating on minimizing unauthorized border crossings, some senior administration officials have expressed concern about drafting guidelines that could make more migrants eligible for asylum and make it more difficult to deport them.
Each month, about 200,000 people attempt to cross the border from Mexico into the United States. However, according to preliminary government data obtained by CBS News last month, the number of migrants who were apprehended by U.S. border patrol agents after entering the country illegally decreased by about 40% in January.
According to internal preliminary data, Border Patrol agents apprehended over 130,000 migrants who crossed the border with Mexico outside of designated ports of entry in January, down from a nearly record 221,000 in December. Total apprehensions by the Border Patrol in November and October were 207,396 and 204,874, respectively.
The majority are from Central and South America, and when they apply for asylum, they frequently mention the poverty and violence in their home countries.
