Перейти к основному содержанию

Migration in 2021: Has anything really changed? (June 2021)

Страны
Мексика
+ 1
Источники
GRM
Дата публикации
Происхождение
Просмотреть оригинал

• This investigation examines the circumstances that migrants1 face in the Mexican border towns of Matamoros and Reynosa, in Tamaulipas.

• The Biden-Harris administration has taken steps to end harmful migration policies, however, pretextual COVID-19 measures, such as the closure of the border and expulsions under “Title 42”, continue to endanger the migrant population, which is steadily growing in these towns.

• Organized Crime Groups are taking advantage of the situation, making it harder for Civil Society Organizations to operate safely.

• The community is not receiving the medical treatment that it needs. Pregnant women are not receiving pre-natal care, chronic conditions go unmanaged and most children present with coughs, stomach issues or worse.

INTRODUCTION: A RETURN TO 2019?

Over the years, various US immigration policies have required migrants [1] to wait in Mexico, the most recent of which was known as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) or, colloquially, Remain in Mexico. There were 25,000 active MPP cases when the Biden-Harris Administration formally announced the suspension of the policy in February 2021.

Since then, over 11,700 people have been processed and allowed into the US, more than 2,300 of whom were from Matamoros, including hundreds who had spent many months living in tents on the banks of the Rio Grande.

The US administration proudly referred to “closing the most dangerous face of the MPP: the Matamoros migrant camp” [2]. However, far from ending the precarious conditions for migrants, the processing of active MPP cases is just the tip of the iceberg. Tens of thousands of migrants, who do not have active MPP cases, remain stuck in Mexico.

Not only did COVID-19 cause the US to close the border, thereby refusing new asylum claims, but under the public health laws called Title 42, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is swiftly expelling anyone unauthorized to be in the US. In May 2021, CBP had 180,034 encounters on the southwest US border with 112,302 returned, often within hours of arriving in the US. Although those numbers do include multiple attempts by the same person (CBP estimates that 38% have tried more than once in this Fiscal Year), the numbers of encounters in Mexico are also rising to pre-2019 levels.

As a result, Mexican border towns, considered too dangerous for civil society organizations to safely operate, are filling with migrants who are unable to continue their journey to the US. Returnees from the US join the existing migrant population together with new arrivals, many of whom were responding to rumors, possibly spread by Organized Crime Groups, that the border is open.

They live in impossible conditions where access to medical care is wanting. Some live on the streets, others in emergency shelters or squalid apartments shared by multiple families. Young mothers sleep rough next to their newborn babies, alongside pregnant women who have received no pre-natal care. Chronic conditions such as diabetes, cholesterol and hormonal issues are left unmanaged.

The perceived strength in numbers makes migrants reluctant to leave the safety of their group, even in a medical emergency. Those desperate enough to seek medical attention often do not have sufficient funds to pay for prescribed medicines.

This report sets out the conditions that migrants are currently facing in Tamaulipas [3], based on statistics from the US and Mexican governments and interviews with migrant and civil society organizations.The overarching conclusion is that there remains a very real need to provide medical assistance to the migrant communities in Tamaulipas.