A mother who had to leave her home country with her two children after one of them was abducted; a woman who was ordered to undress by robbers seeking money; an activist who lost her job because she spoke out against her nation’s government: These are a few of the tales that CNN overheard outside of an immigrant shelter in Eagle Pass, Texas.
Dozens of migrants had just arrived at the shelter on Christmas Eve, having been released on parole by immigration officials. Since there was nothing in the shelter for the newcomers, some of them were waiting outside.
Silvia del Carmen Flores, 38, was sitting on the pavement with her 16-year-old daughter Yolani close by and her 3-year-old son Nikson on her lap. Flores told CNN that they had recently been granted parole following their asylum request, and they were looking for a trip to San Antonio, where they might be able to remain at a larger shelter.
According to Flores, they left their home country of Honduras on December 12. They arrived in the Mexican city of Monterrey after passing via Guatemala and Mexico on buses and taxis. Flores added that they took a flight to Piedras Negras, which is located over the border from Eagle Pass, with the last money they had. They went over the border there at a waist-high waterline in the Rio Grande.
Flores stated that because of the family’s financial circumstances, she had been considering leaving Honduras for some time. Then, Yolani was abducted two months prior, and Flores had to pay to retrieve her. Flores claimed that after that, she felt forced to depart.
Yolani, a ninth grader, stated, “I don’t want to go back to Honduras,” despite not knowing what the future holds for her family. Too much crime, corruption, and similar issues exist.
Tens of thousands of immigrants have arrived at Eagle Pass in the last two weeks, including the Flores family. Numerous previously overburdened US agencies are being strained by this recent spike in border crossings of people.
A Homeland Security official stated earlier this month that federal authorities recorded an average of over 9,600 encounters with migrants over a seven-day period along the southern border of the United States in December. That figure is one of the greatest sums ever documented. On November 28, the seven-day average was approximately 6,800 interactions.
Marcelly Giraldo, a 33-year-old domestic worker from Medellín, Colombia, told CNN that her desire for a better life in the US stemmed from a lack of opportunities in her home country. She stated that her primary driving force is a daughter she had to leave behind along with her sister, a child she intends to bring to the US if her asylum request is granted.
Giraldo claimed to have seen dead bodies during her four days of walking in the Darien Gap, a region of the Panamanian wilderness. She said that thieves had forced her to undress in Guatemala.
“They made me strip off inside the bus. They made a financial request. Giraldo stated, “There are times when they think people are hiding money under their garments.
Many of the migrants who spoke with CNN appeared to think that there was a legitimate provision in US immigration law that made obtaining legal status simpler for a short while.
“I made the decision to travel when I learned that they were providing immigrants with the advantage of being permitted entry into the nation. I never would have done it otherwise. “I never would have taken the chance,” Giraldo declared.
Before an immigration judge, immigrants must provide evidence of their justifications for seeking asylum, preferably in the form of valid documentation. Deportation is likely to occur if this is not done.
Troy Miller, the senior official of US Customs and Border Protection who holds the position of commissioner, stated in a statement released last week that a large number of migrants “are often misled and victimized by the transnational criminal organizations.” These traffickers are carelessly placing refugees in dangerous situations, such as isolated areas across the border, atop trains, or in the Rio Grande River.
Cuban nurse Milaidis Duarte Felipe, 30, said she departed her own nation on October 27 together with her sister and small niece. According to Duarte Felipe, who spoke out against the government and faced political persecution, she had to leave behind her 7-year-old son.
Duarte Felipe claimed that they flew from Cuba to the Dominican Republic and finally to Managua, Nicaragua. They took a taxi from the capital of Nicaragua to the border with Honduras, and from there they took a bus through Guatemala to the Suchiate River, which forms the border between Guatemala and Mexico, where they crossed on a raft.
“We were abducted while traveling to the United States. When the kidnappers demanded money, our family gave them what they wanted. We were being robbed on a bus after arriving in Mexico City. Our papers were carefully hidden, so even though they stole our phones, they were unable to remove them, according to Duarte Felipe.
As of right now, she noted that living in the US has been a wonderful Christmas present, particularly because she arrived on Christmas Eve and was picked up in Eagle Pass by Houston-based family.
“I’ll be spending Christmas with my family,” I will reside in a free nation. Where, at minimum I’m not sure. Unlike where I used to live, I will live in a free nation where people’s rights are upheld, Duarte Felipe declared.
As soon as she is given asylum, she claimed she intends to bring her kid to the United States.
She remarked, her eyes welling with sorrow, “He’s my only child.”
