Mexico has been allowing thousands of migrants to travel to the United States border, according to government data.
Some migrants are saying that it has been easier than ever to cross the border of the United States, claiming that some authorities in Mexico have already abandoned their posts.
Mexico Lets Thousands of Migrants Cross US Border
Migrants wait to be processed by US authorities on the US side of the US-Mexico border seen from Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico, on May 10, 2023.
According to The New York Times, Mexican authorities have enabled tens of thousands of people to travel to the US border since the start of April. The government data reveals a significant increase in the number of migrants crossing the border in time for the looming expiration of the immigration measure of the US.
With more people beating the buzzer to cross the US-Mexico border, alongside the more lenient Mexican security, the migrants storming the border have reached staggering numbers. The data of the National Institute of Migration in Mexico disclosed that between April 2 and May 3, the Mexican authorities granted roughly 30,000 humanitarian visas to the migrants in the Chiapas state alone.
The New York Times notes that the visa enables migrants to travel to the US border. The news outlet highlights that the number of visas soared last April as the authorities in Mexico have started giving them away to any applicant, local humanitarian organizations reveal.
However, the US Border Patrol chief, Raul Ortiz, told the Times that he believes the increase in visa grants has nothing to do with the soaring numbers of people at the US-Mexico border.
Read Also: US to Build Migrant Facilities in Latin America, Limiting Border Entries: Report
Migrants Storm US Border Amid Looming End of Title 42
An aerial image shows migrants waiting along the border wall to surrender to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) border patrol agents for immigration and asylum claim processing after crossing the Rio Grande river into the United Staes on the US-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, on May 10, 2023.
As per i24News, no less than US President Joe Biden has warned that the US-Mexico border will be "chaotic for a while" as the COVID rules, which prohibit all types of asylum, nears its end.
As Title 42 nears its expiry, migrants are now waiting at the border until the COVID-19 measure comes to its final curtain call. A US official says they have deployed roughly 24,000 border police to handle the swelling crowd. In addition, the US has placed about 1,100 border processing personnel, doubling the workforce from last year.
Meanwhile, the New York Post reports that government sources are expecting an additional 80,000 migrants to storm Guatemala as the pandemic measure reaches its end. Despite that, President Biden assures that "[we have] gotten overwhelming cooperation from Mexico."
Former president Donald Trump signed Title 42 into law last 2020 amid the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It essentially prevents new migrants from entering the country to help curb the spread of the coronavirus in the US.
Related Article: Nearly 150,000 Migrants Amass in US-Mexico Border as Title 42 Nears Expiration
