Mexico Bulldozers Abandoned Tents at US Border; Migrants Claim They Were Forced Out

Mexican officials, aided by bulldozers, worked to dismantle a makeshift migrant tent camp located alongside the Rio Grande in Matamoros, Mexico, according to FOX News.

The encampment at the US Mexico border, established in late 2022, once housed up to 1,500 migrants.

However, many temporary shelters have been vacated in recent months as migrants seek entry into the US.

The cleanup coincided with a high-level US delegation meeting in Mexico City to address the escalating migrant surge.

The US delegation, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador convened to discuss strategies to manage the unprecedented influx of migrants reaching the US border.

Matamoros officials reported on Wednesday that the ongoing operation primarily focused on clearing abandoned tents from the area.

"Our current objective is to eliminate any tents that appear to be vacant," Segismundo Doguín, the head of the local office of Mexico's immigration agency, explained.

Clearance Operation and Migrant Concerns

While Matamoros officials clarified that the operation primarily involved removing abandoned tents, one Honduran migrant, identified as José, claimed that some of the remaining 200 migrants felt pressured to leave during the clearance operation, as per NBCDFW.

He alleged that migrants were given short notice and felt intimidated by the presence of bulldozers, prompting a hurried evacuation.

Approximately 70 migrants resorted to crossing the river into the US, facing challenges due to the layers of concertina wire set up by Texas authorities.

Glady Cañas, founder of the NGO Ayudandoles a Triunfar, highlighted the limited options for migrants leaving the encampment, emphasizing that shelters were overwhelmed.

Cañas worked to discourage migrants from attempting illegal crossings, especially given the recent incidents of people drowning while attempting to swim the river.

Escalating US Mexico Border Situation

December has witnessed a surge in migrant apprehensions, with up to 10,000 arrests daily on the southwest US Mexico border, the Daily Mail reports.

The Del Rio sector in Texas reported 22,024 migrant apprehensions during the week of December 17 to December 23.

Mexico President Lopez Obrador confirmed an agreement with US officials to keep border crossings open following discussions with Secretary Blinken.

The US temporarily closed several crossings early this month, including key rail bridges, to redirect enforcement resources amid the US migrant crisis.

President Biden ordered the closure of rail crossings at Eagle Pass and El Paso in Texas, impacting Union Pacific's rail car traffic between the US and Mexico.

Starting in March, a new Texas law will empower police to arrest migrants entering the state illegally, granting local judges authority to order their deportation.

This legislation follows a previous operation that led to nearly 10,000 migrant arrests on misdemeanor trespassing charges, drawing constitutional challenges and raising concerns about its impact on deterring immigration.

Civil rights organizations argue that the expanded powers granted to police represent an unconstitutional overreach encroaching on the federal government's immigration authority.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

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