Migrants stranded in Mexico face a difficult decisionーNHK WORLD-JAPAN NEWS
US President Trump has pursued a hardline immigration policy since taking office in January, and the effects are clear to see at the southern border with Mexico, where crossings, including those made illegally, have plummeted. Many immigrants and asylum seekers from Central and South America are now stranded on the other side of that border. There are thought to be tens or even hundreds of thousands of them currently living in Mexico. And the reality they face is far from easy. In Mexico City, shacks press up right beside a railway line. The people here had hoped to start new lives in the US, but they now find themselves in limbo. Some of these children’s educations have also been put on hold. Mexico’s authorities are now wrestling with how to support all those stranded in the country. This shelter was set up by the local government. Meals are provided three times a day. In principle, people can stay for up to three months. During that time, they must make a difficult decision whether to find accommodation in Mexico or return to their country of origin. 29year-old Joseline Delvaj came here from Venezuela. She’s staying in the shelter with her husband and two young children. Venezuela’s economy has collapsed. Roughly 80% of its population is in monetary poverty. The security situation is also unstable and one in four people have fled abroad. I left Venezuela for economic reasons. I wanted to give my children a better future. Delvaj spent five months traveling over land by bus and unfit before reaching Mexico. She then entered the US illegally, but was detained by authorities and sent back. Her family now lives hand-to-mouth. Her husband makes a little money working as a car window washer and day laborer. With Trump back in the White House, she feels their future has been foreclosed. It’s tough now that President Trump is in office. The moment he won the election, I gave up. We only brought enough money to get us this far. We can’t return to Venezuela right away. We’re facing an unprecedented situation. People are having to rethink their whole life plan and decide whether to return to their country of origin or settle permanently in Mexico. A nonprofit organization providing assistance to people fleeing their countries says about 3,000 have suffered sexual abuse on their way to the US border and some have fallen victim to abduction and robbery. It highlights the need for the international community to come up with effective measures to protect society’s most vulnerable members.
The Trump administration’s hardline immigration policy has left immigrants and asylum seekers stranded in Mexico – and having to think the unthinkable.
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