They dissolve with rubber bullets protest of Venezuelans on the banks of the Rio Grande

Jesus Estrada and Ruben Villalpando

correspondents

Newspaper La Jornada
Tuesday, November 1, 2022, p. 14

Chihuahua, Chih., Border Patrol Agents assigned to the El Paso sector dispersed with rubber bullets a demonstration held this Monday by more than one hundred Venezuelan migrants, who took them along the banks of the Bravo River, near Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, a giant United States flag on which the South Americans embroidered the phrase We the migrants built America (Migrants build America).

At least one migrant was injured by the intervention of the police and the painter from Zacatecas living in the United States, Roberto Márquez, was arrested. Robenzwho called for the mobilization.

Last weekend, Márquez, 60 years old and who has dual Mexican and American nationality, accompanied Venezuelans in the camps they set up two weeks ago under the Paso del Norte international bridge, as well as in front of the wall that divides to Mexico from the United States. Together with them he cut and sewed fabric to create the flag of the neighboring country.

Yesterday, the Venezuelans carried the immense labarum on their shoulders, walking almost 2 kilometers from the so-called Black Bridge (special for railway, located near the Paso del Norte international bridge) to Las Tortugas Park, where they crossed the Rio Grande to seek a dialogue with US authorities.

The migrants rebuked the Border Patrol agents, while other undocumented immigrants, with small flags from Mexico, Venezuela and Honduras, insisted on continuing the protest. The uniformed men tried to arrest the migrants and fired rubber bullets at them, arguing that the protesters had thrown stones at them, for which the South Americans dispersed and returned to the Mexican side of the Rio Grande.

Márquez participated in the attempt to meet with representatives of the Border Patrol and was arrested. Protesters said a minor was dragged away by US elements and an unspecified number of adults were hit by rubber bullets.

The United States Customs and Border Protection Office reported in a statement that the incident occurred yesterday at 12:20 p.m. assured that one of the protesters assaulted an officer with a flagpole, at which point the officers responded with crowd control measures, including the use of the authorized less lethal force pepper ball delivery system. The crowd dispersed and returned to Mexico.

Meanwhile, the Secretary of Federal Welfare, Ariadna Montiel Reyes, announced that the capacity of the Leona Vicario Integration Center, located in Ciudad Juárez, will be expanded to house up to 900 migrants, 200 more than with its current facilities. We are going to implement a line of action to serve Venezuelans from the perspective of a social emergency, he said.

Churches will manage the entry of migrants to the US

Meanwhile, the Catholic bishop of El Paso, Texas, Mark Seitz, announced that the churches will manage to the United States government that allow the entry of hundreds of Venezuelans camped on the banks of the Rio Grandesince many of them cannot return to their country because they have received threats from criminal organizations.