Under Pressure from the US, Mexico Continues to Target Migrants from Latin America Marina Jimenez - The Star
go to original February 1, 2016

Central American Migrants Living in Limbo in Mexico (CCTV America)

Human smugglers have launched a new business model — offering three attempts to the United States for one fee because they know it is much harder to succeed, says Victoria Rietig, a policy analyst with the Migration Policy Institute, a think-tank in Washington, D.C. “They also offer door-to-door service, where they will accompany children from their rural village all the way to the U.S.”

The cost ranges from $5,000 to $9,000 (US) for three attempts.

Under pressure from U.S. officials to stem the flow of Central Americans, Mexico began tightening its southern border in 2014. With American funding for mobile security and surveillance equipment, more migrants are being caught and deported.

President Barack Obama introduced immigration reforms following the “humanitarian crisis” in 2014, when 52,000 unaccompanied Central American children were apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border. However, Texas and 25 other states are challenging this policy, which would defer deportation for five million undocumented migrants. The U.S. Supreme Court announced last week that it will rule on the disputed measure.

In the meantime, the revolving door of Central Americans making the hazardous journey north continues. San Pedro Sula in Honduras was just named the world’s second-most violent peacetime city, followed by San Salvador, according to a new report by Mexico’s Citizens’ Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice.

...Those caught and returned face grim prospects.

Read the whole article at The Star

Related: Some 400 Immigrant Women Enter Mexico Daily Across Its Southern Border (Prensa Latina)

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