An estimated 500 migrants and asylum seekers have initiated a march in southern Mexico to express frustration with the local immigration system. The group departed from Tapachula, a town near Mexico's border with Guatemala, on Tuesday night and continued walking into Wednesday. Their route followed the path commonly used by migrants entering Mexico, with Tapachula having been a site for similar protests in the past, highlighting ongoing tensions in the region.
The demonstration aimed to draw attention to the difficulties in applying for legal status in Mexico. Many participants cited long lines and movement restrictions as significant impediments to finding employment and accessing legal immigration pathways. The Southern Border Monitoring Collective, a coalition of civil society groups, also reported that some migrants are being asked to pay nearly $2,300 for documentation that is legally free, pointing to potential corruption or exploitation within the system.
Other advocates criticized increased militarization near Mexico's borders, warning that it threatens the safety of migrants and asylum seekers. Joandri Velazquez Zaragoza, a 40-year-old Cuban national, stated, "Without papers, there are no opportunities. We migrants feel like prisoners in Tapachula." Mexico has intensified its immigration enforcement partly due to pressure from the United States, as the Trump administration pushes for stricter border controls.
Since returning to the White House for a second term, President Donald Trump has launched a campaign of mass deportation from the US, leading to a sharp decline in irregular border crossings from Mexico into the US. Lawyers for the Trump administration have allegedly claimed in court that Mexico agreed to accept 6,000 Cubans deported from the US, though they indicated such a deal was an "unwritten agreement." On Wednesday, US District Judge William Young in Boston, Massachusetts, questioned this claim and demanded answers, reflecting skepticism about the transparency of such arrangements.
In an order, Judge Young wrote, "What? Can this be true? There's some unwritten deal between sovereign nations whereby 6,000 Cuban nationals have already been shipped to Mexico? Is this deal secret?" The US Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters. The Trump administration has repeatedly sought "third-party" countries to take noncitizen deportees, while since January, it has restricted fuel imports to Cuba in an attempt to destabilize the country's government, further complicating regional migration dynamics.
Source: www.aljazeera.com