BEIJING, March 19 (Dong Hanyang) A few days before US President Biden took office, the "caravan" team of Honduran immigrants had been assembled. Starting from San Pedro Sula, thousands of kilometers away from the United States, many people are carrying only one luggage and heading for the "American Dream".
And the possible terminal — — Tijuana, a Mexican border city bordering the United States, is the place where hundreds of illegal immigrants "camp" today.
People went to the US-Mexico border in the hope of seeking asylum in anticipation of Biden’s change in immigration policy. But in the end, they found that America, or that America, is far from being as beautiful as imagined … …
There is a wave of immigrants on the US-Mexico border.
The reason behind this is … …
Since Biden took office, he has successively reversed many tough immigration policies of his predecessor Trump. The new policies include stopping the construction of the US-Mexico border wall and canceling the policy of forced separation of immigrant families.
As a result, a large number of Central American immigrants packed their bags and flocked to the US-Mexico border, forming a new "immigration tide". Perhaps this can be seen from the following two sets of figures:
Detention of nearly 100 thousand illegal immigrants— — In February 2021 alone, law enforcement officers detained nearly 100,000 illegal immigrants at the US-Mexico border, the highest number since June 2019.
In a statement on March 16th, Alejandro Mayokas, US Secretary of Homeland Security, said that the number of illegal immigrants on the border between the United States and Mexico "reached the highest level in 20 years".
Nearly 3,000 children have been detained for extended periods.— — As of March 14th, more than 4,200 unaccompanied minors were detained in the short-term detention facilities of the US-Mexico Border Patrol. Nearly 3,000 of them have been detained for more than 72 hours.
However, detention centers are only temporary detention places, which are not suitable for children, and their situation is worrying.
According to the analysis, on the one hand, the "sharp turn" of the White House immigration policy has prompted many illegal immigrants to rekindle their expectations of obtaining legal status in the United States. On the other hand, violence and gang crimes in the "country of origin" of illegal immigrants, natural disasters such as hurricanes at the end of 2020, and the secondary crisis caused by the COVID-19 epidemic also contributed to the surge in the number of immigrants during this period.
A journey of crisis and fear
The ideal shines into the injury of reality
"This is one of the most dangerous journeys in the world," said figueroa of the Central American Migration Movement, an immigrant rights group. Central American immigrants are often harassed by drug trafficking groups and local criminal gangs on their way to the United States. "They have become victims of attacks, extortion, sexual assault, kidnapping and murder."
Carlos and Vilfredo, brothers from Honduras, are two of them. After getting the news that Biden became the president of the United States, they chose to travel thousands of kilometers into the United States. However, in Mexico, two people were attacked by armed robbers, not only the money was robbed, but also Villfre had a serious wound on his head. "We don’t know if we will die or where we will end up."
This road to the "American Dream" is full of thorns. Even those immigrants who have successfully reached the US-Mexico border are mostly turned away, and everything is quite different from their original new life and new world.
A photo has recently become the focus of publicity in major American media. In the photo, in the yellow bush in Rio Grande, Texas, a little boy was held tightly by his mother’s arm. In front of him, a uniformed law enforcement officer was half-hunched and stretched out his right hand, as if he were sending a "goodwill invitation" to his mother and son.
However, according to the live video disclosure, the truth behind the photo is very cruel. In fact, the law enforcement officers are waving to ask the mother and son to come out of the bushes in order to arrest them in handcuffs and transfer them … …
The human rights filter carefully woven by western media in front of the world is vulnerable. Similar incidents are being staged repeatedly. Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, Biden’s government did not fully open the US-Mexico border. When damasio from Guatemala arrived in the border city of the United States with her young daughter, she thought that every family with children could enter the United States. However, the US Customs and Border Protection detained them and repatriated them to Mexico.
Some people even hope to enter the United States illegally, but their dreams are shattered. At the beginning of March, a serious traffic accident occurred on the US-Mexico border, killing 13 people. The accident was alleged to be related to illegal cross-border activities. A total of 44 people tried to enter the United States through a gap in the border fence.
At the same time, the Biden administration’s decision not to expel migrant children has led to a continuous increase in the number of migrant children in custody. The US media described it as "in these detention centers, illegal immigrant children are faced with hunger, crowding and fear."
A lawyer from the American Juvenile Law Center who was admitted to a detention center in Texas recently told CNN that the children in the detention center were very scared and worried that they could not be reunited with their families.
"Some children can’t see the sun for many days, and some can’t take a bath for several days," said Welch, a senior director of the center. "This is rapidly becoming a humanitarian crisis."
"A humanitarian tragedy"
Biden shouted, "Don’t come."
The huge immigration tide has made Biden’s government face severe challenges. Many Republicans accuse the emergence of illegal immigrants as a direct result of Biden’s promise to provide Amnesty and "open" borders for illegal immigrants during the campaign. House Republican leader McCarthy also said, "This is not only a crisis, but also a humanitarian tragedy."
Trump slammed Biden a few days ago, saying that the border policy during his term of office "won" and the US-Mexico border under his supervision was "in good condition". But at present, the United States is being "destroyed" by the surge of illegal immigrants at the border.
However, White House Press Secretary Psaki said, "In the past four years, the immigration policy has not only been inhuman, but also ineffective."
In the face of doubts in the United States, on March 16, Biden responded to the issue of immigration on the southern border and advised immigrants to "don’t come (to the United States)." Biden said that "we are repatriating" those who crossed the border.
On the other hand, the immigration system envisaged by Biden may take months or even years to implement. The prospect of reaching an agreement between the democratic and Republican parties is still very bleak.
How can illegal immigrants who are hovering on the edge of life and death be home? For them, whether they continue to endure poverty, violence and hunger in their own country or embark on a journey full of unknowns and dangers, it is doomed to be an extremely difficult choice. (End)
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