José Luis has been in the city of Tapachula, in the border state of Chiapas with Guatemala, for almost five months. On February 11, he attended the appointment at the delegation of the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance (Comar) to request refugee status. “They gave me an appointment for April 16 and it’s already July and they haven’t given me anything,” he tells 14ymedio this Cuban originally from Cienfuegos.
The term to announce the result of the request should be 55 business days. “There are 45 business days to make a decision, plus 10 days to inform you of the result.” But in the case of José Luis, it was extended another 45 days, due to the increase in requests.
A source from the commission admits that they have been overwhelmed by the number of migrants. “In 16 days, from June 2 to 18, 3,350 people requested appointments to be attended by Comar. More than three quarters are single adults, most of them men.” At the end of that month, 1,093 Cubans seeking asylum were counted.
According to Comar figures58,642 people applied for refuge in Mexico during the first half of 2022, which means an increase of 14.88% compared to the same period in 2021. Of these, 10,791 are from the Island.
The official warned that they do not have an exact figure for the total number of migrants. “There are groups on the move, others that stay, others that decide to start the refugee process in Tapachula, for example, but, because of the time it takes, they abandon it and start it somewhere else. Most use this procedure to avoid being detained and deported and takes the opportunity to advance towards the border with the United States”.
On the Island, José Luis left behind his wife and a three-year-old girl. “I would have liked to bring them with me, but the money was lacking”
The monthly report indicates that Hondurans have submitted 13,750 refugee applications, Haitians (8,230), Venezuelans (7,196), Nicaraguans (4,616), Salvadorans (3,373), Guatemalans (2,176), Brazilians (1,411), Colombians (1,168 ) and Senegalese (985).
During this time in Tapachula, José Luis has come to feel desperate due to the lack of money and the harassment of the Immigration agents who carry out tours in the kennels (trucks). A hostel owner offered to help with the cleaning in exchange for “food and a place to spend the night.”
The Cienfuegos entered Mexico on February 11 through Ciudad Hidalgo (Chiapas), in a group that has been advancing according to its possibilities. On the Island, José Luis left behind his wife and a three-year-old girl. “I would have wanted to bring them with me, but the money was lacking. A cousin who is in Texas financed me with $5,000 to go out. I’m not lying to you, for the Cuban that’s a lot.”
In all of 2021, Mexico received a record of more than 130,000 asylum applications, according to Comar.
The region is experiencing a migratory flow to the United States, where the Customs and Border Protection Office detected more than 1.7 million undocumented immigrants on the border with Mexico in fiscal year 2021, which ended on September 30.
Mexico deported more than 114,000 foreigners in 2021, according to data from the Migration Policy Unit, figures not seen in almost 15 years.
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