Tapachula (Mexico), September 18 (EFE).- Thousands of migrants, mainly from Cuba and Haiti, clashed this Monday with the authorities on the southern Mexican border, where they tore down metal fences at the offices of the Mexican Commission. Help refugees (Comar) facing saturation due to new wave of migration.
An estimated 5,000 to 6,000 migrants gathered in front of the Comar offices, where they were outnumbered by the National Guard and municipal police in Tapachula, near Mexico’s border with Guatemala.
The unrest was followed by an avalanche of migrants who ran into each other.
Cuban migrant Mersin Marillo demanded more orders from Mexican authorities.
“Now (we want) an organization so that everything moves because, if not, we will not move forward,” he told EFE.
In the face of the chaos, Angel Milton Ordonez, General Visitor of Migrants from the State Commission on Human Rights (CEDH), announced that the Tafachula Ecological Park will be allowed to serve migrants with dignity.
“What is happening, we call on the population to avoid xenophobia, discrimination and racism towards migrants, because everyone has rights under equal conditions and is a human being and deserves to be respected with his dignity,” he said.
The measure reflects a new wave of migration in Mexico, where migration flows from the country to the United States have rebounded after an initial drop last May with the expiration of US Title 42, as acknowledged by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
In addition, Comar reported a 30% increase in asylum requests annually between January and August 2023, when a record of almost 100,000 applications was registered.
When asked about the arrival of thousands of migrants in Tafachula, Ordonez said that it is an international issue and they do not know what is causing this phenomenon.
“We need to be cooperative and aware and avoid any kind of confrontation with this population as much as possible,” he added.
Despite this delay, Comar has not suspended service now, as it did last week, because they have thousands of Cuban migrants on public roads waiting to register for their appointments.
This is the third and largest influx of migrants since September, as they gather behind metal gates where they outnumber authorities responsible for analyzing their asylum cases.
Source: El Diario
