Despite Title 42, thousands seek to reach the US; most come from Venezuela

Jessica Xantomila and Nestor Jimenez

Newspaper La Jornada
Monday December 26, 2022, p. 6

Designed as an instrument to more effectively contain the growing migratory flows along the border between Mexico and the United States, the so-called Title 42 has been insufficient to discourage the crossing of people who want to reach that nation, especially of Venezuelan origin.

Not only do they arrive on national territory with the intention of reaching the United States, but many of those who were expelled under that measure have been forced to remain stranded in Mexico and have no other option but to take refuge in overcrowded border shelters, without jobs. or in the best of cases with precarious jobs.

Both the migrants who arrive in Mexico and those who try to enter the United States on several occasions live in uncertainty, since due to the debts they acquired for the journey, of thousands of dollars that, returning without resources to their country does not represent for them an alternative.

That is why they are faced with the dilemma of entering the United States, despite the high probability of being deported again, returning to their families in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Chile, or staying in Mexico, a new objective that was not originally in your expectations.

“What is at stake for them is their lives, and a decision of this type cannot be made in such a short time… the fact that the United States opened its doors wide for them first (since at the beginning it received them without obstacles) and then they were closed with Title 42, it has been a very strong blow. They invested everything to get to that country,” said Gabriela Hernández, coordinator of the Casa Tochan shelter.

The number of Venezuelans seeking to enter the United States through Mexico grew in 2022. That is why Title 42 was established on October 12, under the argument of reinforcing health controls. The measure was projected to conclude on December 21, but various US state governments obtained an injunction that keeps it in force.

Although there are no figures for irregular migration, the reports of the Migration Policy Unit of the Ministry of the Interior show the magnitude of the movement due to the detention of migrants, a line in which Venezuelans occupy first place this year. .

Their statistics show that from January to October 2022, of the 345,644 people detained, 72,762 come from Venezuela. The figure exceeds 62 thousand 657 cases of Hondurans, 59 thousand 797 of Guatemalans or 34 thousand 905 of Cubans.

Journeys from Medellin

Among the cases of the thousands of Venezuelans expelled from the United States to Mexico by Title 42 is that of Jona Carlo Vargas. Although he was born in that country, he left from Medellín, Colombia, where he came to live more than a year ago. I wanted to enter the United States to help my mother, I have an aunt who lives there and she was the one who was going to receive me.he shared in an interview.

He reported that he was already aware of the immediate expulsion measure, but he dared to continue because They were telling me that the Venezuelans were passing in spite of her, but migration caught me and they sent me back to Villahermosa, Tabasco.

After being deported, the same aunt who is waiting for him in the United States paid a coyote to cross him. He had to disburse 4,000 dollars (almost 80,000 Mexican pesos) so that he could travel, first by plane from Cancun to Torreón, then to Monclova, and then cross the Rio Grande, where he voluntarily turned himself in, as recommended, but again. was rejected.

On his two returns he was assaulted by state police in Durango, where they accused him of trying to rob a train, but they did not refer him to an immigration station, and without further paperwork they released him two days later, with no money.

Now he is in Mexico City, where he works as a security guard where he is paid 6,000 pesos a month, insufficient to cover his needs and pay off the debt he has with his aunt of 5,700 dollars (112,783 pesos).

With family it is more difficult to move

The profiles of those who have left South America are varied. There is also the case of Naydelis, 34, who has been trying to reach the United States for 12 months along with her husband and two children, ages 13 and 7. In Venezuela she worked in the scientific police, while he was a transit agent, but the salary was no longer enough, so they decided to go to Ecuador in November 2021, where her youngest daughter was born, now nine months old.

However, due to the lack of opportunities and insecurity in that country, they sought to go to the United States in August 2022. As part of their journey, they arrived in Mexico in September and for just over two months they have lived in a shelter because the application of the Title 42 thwarted his way.

We had our flight to the border on October 18 and we missed it, we prefer to see first for the peace of mind of our children before continuing and being expelled. Although he stated that his main objective is to reach the United States, If they offer us a permanent stay in Mexico, we would stay..

In another case, Fredy has a very clear picture. After leaving Venezuela more than five years ago and speaking daily with hundreds of migrants to whom he sells arepas in Mexico City, he is sure that the flow will not be stopped by any measure applied by the US or Mexican governments. The need continues to increase and people are increasingly arriving in more precarious conditions.