Photo: Juan Manuel Blanco / EFE
For: EFE Updated 06 Jan 2023, 23:03 pm EST
Groups of undocumented immigrants of Nicaragua who had reached Chiapas, in southern Mexico, have begun to return to their country through Guatemala, after meeting changes in immigration policyborder control measures and safe and orderly processes for immigration imposed by the United States government.
The immigrants, who maintained a camp on the outskirts of the siglo 21 immigration station, began to return to Guatemala, since in Central America they can circulate with the Identity document (DNI) on a regular basis.
Nicaraguan Joel Hernández, who is traveling with his wife and daughter, explained that, with the new immigration provisions, he decided to return to his country along with 50 other compatriots.
“We are returning to our country, because if we enter illegally (to the United States) we will not have anyone who can ask us (receive) there,” he said.
He considered that upon returning to Nicaragua, he will be informed of the new measures and will try to carry out the process in his country, because everything has been complicated on his journey.
“We are prudent, we are going to return despite the fact that the situation in the country is critical due to the dictatorship of President Daniel Ortega,” said Hernández.
This Friday, more than 1,000 Haitian, Cuban, Venezuelan, Cuban, African, and Ecuadorian migrants organized in lines and were assisted by more than a dozen agents from the National Institute of Migration (INM) and personnel from the Federal Protection Service (SPF). ), who helped order and enter foreigners, despite warnings from the United States government about the application of the Title 42.
Other immigrants decide to stay in Mexico
Venezuelan immigrants who remain in Tapachula and who have learned about the information on immigration changes released by President Joe Biden, know that the idea of being able to cross irregularly has been complicated, but they have chosen to stay in Mexico and seek their regularization. .
The Venezuelan immigrant Ángel Duviñez pointed out that he does not have anyone to receive him in the United States, so he does not qualify for the program announced by Biden.
He pointed out that his hope is to be able to reach Mexico City, since opportunities are everywhere “and if this country helps us to stay, we can stay here to work.”
Venezuelan immigrants who are stranded on the southern border of Mexico are turning themselves in at immigration stations in order to obtain documents and remain legally in Chiapas.
While the Haitians who also remain in Tapachula in a massive way claim to be unaware of the new immigration measures announced by the United States government.
Louis Illien, a Haitian migrant, pointed out that, for now, they cannot return to their country, so they are going to continue their journey to the United States.
“If President Biden is going to deport us to Mexico, we will have to endure in this country to be able to obtain documents,” he emphasized.
This situation reflects the migratory crisis that the region is experiencing, since during the fiscal year of 2022 the United States registered the detention of 2.76 million undocumented migrants, an unprecedented number.
During 2022, according to data from the Mexican Commission for Aid to Refugees (Comar), Mexico received 118,478 petitions from migrants seeking asylum, the second highest figure after 2021 with 131,448 cases.