“Violence is very strong, like never before,” said Monica, a 30-year-old Ecuadorian who fled her country after alleged criminals threatened to kill her when she said she couldn’t pay “the tax,” a way of calling extortion. , to continue his food business.
“We want to go to the United States, we know that Mexico is not safe either,” added the woman, who arrived in Mexican territory last week with her husband, after recalling their difficult journey through the dangerous Darien jungle, located between Colombia and Panama. where he says he saw many dead people.
From January to December, 22,156 Ecuadorian migrants entered Mexico irregularly, mainly by land, through the southern states of Chiapas and Tabasco, an increase of just over 1,500% compared to the figures reported in 2021, with just 1,384 cases. .
Last year, Mexico announced that it would expand, as a mandatory requirement and indefinitely, the application for a visa to Ecuadorians, one of the various measures that the nation has implemented to help contain undocumented migration that mainly goes to the United States.
Experts interviewed by Reuters they believe that this is one of the reasons that triggered the trips of undocumented immigrants to the country.
They run away
According to the Ecuadorian Police, 2022 closed with a rate of 25.32 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, with a total of 4,500 violent deaths, compared to a rate of 14.06 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in 2021, one of the main causes that have pushed thousands to leave their homes.
Over the weekend, Ecuador voted to renew 5,600 local authorities, including 221 mayors, provincial representatives, councilors, among others, in a process marred by the assassination of three candidates, the most recent on Saturday, and more than a dozen complaints. by threats.
Ecuadorian authorities recently said that 28 candidates were being investigated for their alleged links to criminal groups dedicated mainly to drug trafficking, extortion and other crimes.
“Extortion to small businesses and threats for not paying them are generating mixed flows of Ecuadorians, with people affected economically and others fleeing due to violence, even both,” said Lorena Mena, director of Continente Móvil, a group of experts specialized in migration issues.
Last month, the United States launched, through the CBP One platform, a mechanism for migrants to request asylum on their own, preventing them from taking risks on dangerous routes, such as the Darién jungle.
The State Department recently said that it would analyze expanding this option to more nationalities, since it managed to reduce irregular crossings by up to 90%.
Until now, few nations can access the program, so human rights defenders hope that more can be included with large migratory flows without having to risk their lives or pay human traffickers.
Ecuador is not among the countries included.
“The migration issue of this last year is alarming, especially among young people between 18 and 27 years old, maximum 32 years old who seek to leave the country,” said Flor Haro, president of the Familia Sin Fronteras Foundation in Ecuador.
(Reporting by Lizbeth Díaz; additional reporting by Alexandra Valencia in Quito. Editing by Diego Oré and Marion Giraldo)
