Migrants return from the US to Mexico on the Paso del Norte International Bridge after the repeal of Section 42, seen from Ciudad Juarez Photo: JOSE LUIS GONZALEZ/Reuters
Under a makeshift tent on the Mexican border, smartphone screens illuminated the faces of a group of migrants hoping to gain US asylum.
Along with tens of thousands of others stranded in Mexican cities after they fled to the border who still hope they can one day make it to the US have been told their best chance of getting asylum is through President Joe Biden. 39; CBP One app.
While the end of Section 42, Donald Trump's strict immigration policy in the Covid era, did not result in a predicted surge in migrants entering the country, officials said the number of crossings had reached all-time highs in previous days.
According to Marcelo Ebrard , Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, cities along the 1,950-mile international border still host huge numbers of migrants, with around 10,000 now in Ciudad Juarez alone.
There was a feeling of confusion among those who were still waiting to apply for asylum.
Speaking from the camp opposite the immigration center where more than 40 people died in a fire on March 28, 40-year-old Carmen Rodriguez from El Salvador said she tried to apply for asylum through the White House app. She has already been expelled from the US after she climbed a mountain on the border with Texas.
After she was caught, the border guards drove her along the border to Piedras Negras for eight hours. It took her six days to get back. She also unsuccessfully tried to cross the US border via the Rio Grande four days ago. Because she did so before Section 42 expired, she did not face fines or prosecution. From Thursday evening, people caught illegally crossing could be punished.
Ms. Rodriguez said she and her partner left El Salvador for the US “because the financial situation is impossible and we cannot afford to eat '.
40-year-old Gustavo Adolfo from Venezuela also lives on the streets of Juarez. He arrived a week ago after a four-month journey during which he was kidnapped, robbed and beaten.
He said that every day about 10 people arrive at their camp after crossing the border and being expelled by the US authorities. He has not tried to cross the US border and wants to apply legally.
"I've already been through too much to ruin everything at the very last moment. I will wait for my legal access to the US and intend to go there and start working.” he said.
Potential migrants return from the US to Ciudad Juarez in Mexico on Saturday. Photo: JOSE LUIS GONZALEZ. /Reuters
While the locals have been generally welcoming, there is a growing uneasiness among Mexicans who feel frustrated by their country's «wide-open borders».
Flor Marquez, 43, lives on a parallel road Rio Grande. Her home is 200 meters from the gate through which thousands of migrants crossed into Texas.
Ms. Marquez, who works at a local university, says she feels «insecure.» and unsafe around her home.
She has criticized the Mexican government for «opening its borders to everyone», which she fears will lead to a surge in crime.
“If the government can't provide a decent life for Mexicans, forget about fighting so many immigrants," she said.
"And when the US does not open the gates to immigrants, what will happen to them? They're going to stay here.”
Shop owner Gabriella Trevilla, 55, says the increase in migrants has left her worried about the safety of her 19-year-old daughter, who crosses the border into Texas every year. a day to study.
“Both governments need to do something. The tension is already there, and it will grow.” she said.
Several last-minute lawsuits added to questions about how Mr. Biden's redesigned border strategy would work, with lawyers taking legal action against the new asylum rule when it was passed.
About 23,400 migrants were in the custody of the border patrol as of Friday afternoon, down slightly from earlier in the week, according to a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security.
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