In the middle of nowhere and not knowing what to do: Drama of Venezuelan migrants stranded on the Mexican border

octubre 27 2022, 7:37 am

The countries that a Venezuelan must go through to achieve the “American dream” are Colombia, Panamá, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and México, a longing that fell apart on October 12th, after the Department of Homeland Security United States announced the expansion of Title 42, applied during the pandemic.

By La Patilla – Yanitza Martínez

Oct 25, 2022

This implies that immigration officials have the power to expel illegal immigrants to México. The Biden administration will only allow the entry of up to 24,000 Venezuelans in the United States and only by air.

Disappointment, rage, frustration and anguish have taken hold of thousands of Venezuelans who are on their way to North América, escaping Nicolás Maduro's regime and in search of a better quality of life. Today, these compatriots find themselves in a limbo, facing an uncertain future in the middle of nowhere and not knowing what to do.

But it seems that the ordeal and the danger of crossing the Darién jungle have been minimized by everything that Venezuelans have had to live in the trek between Guatemala and México, where they have had to face dramatic and risky situations, which have not only placed their lives on the edge of the abyss, but also have been hit very hard emotionally.

On October 12th, when the US government announced the new immigration measure, many Venezuelans were already on Mexican soil. They thought that being so close to their final destination, what was left to move forward was “a piece of cake”. That was until through social networks they learned of the not very auspicious news.

Two weeks later, without much to do and putting into practice the resilience that some Venezuelans have had to learn to overcome many obstacles: from hiding from the immigration police to protecting themselves from organized crime.

Inclement cold nights, whole days without eating or drinking anything at all, is part of the “via crucis” that they suffer. There is nothing left but to unite in misfortune and create small communities to help each other and try to survive.

Calvary On The Border

Tapachula is a municipality in the state of Chiapas in México, located on the border with Guatemala. It is the first filter that Venezuelan migrants must go through before reaching the northern border.

Ricardo Nelo, from Lara State, shared part of his testimony with the La Patilla team and mentioned that in that city they persecute Venezuelans 24 hours a day like prey hunters, and the police harass the Venezuelan natives to deport them.

The “Siglo XXI” Immigration Checkpoint (Retén Migratorio Siglo XXI) is a facility where Venezuelan citizens from other countries are taken to expedite the deportation process by the Mexican Federal Government authorities, who grant them a 10-day extension to leave the Aztec country.

The migratory containment and rescue system, according to Nelo, is nothing more than a process to return them to their country of origin and many people, due to ignorance, submit to this, ignoring that then they are duty-bound to return by any means, except by air, to which they do not have access so far.

While telling his story, the native of Lara details that returning on foot or by land to Venezuela involves much more risk, since along the way there are organized crime groups that work with human trafficking, white slavery, organ trafficking, guerrillas and drug cartels.

“The police are more dangerous than criminals,” he said, while he said that they ask for documents to later strip them of cell phones and cash.

The Siglo XXI Immigration Station has six nuclei, and each nuclei houses at least 800 people, mostly Venezuelans, who must remain in the facility from 72 hours to 21 days, while they release the deportation order.

For Nelo, this migratory apparatus is nothing more than a containment process to prevent Venezuelans from advancing to the northern border, thus cutting off oxygen and any possibility of even being able to reach the Federal District (México City), where many would have the intention to work to be able to recover all that was economically lost and not return to Venezuela empty-handed.

The Drama Continues in San Pedro

San Pedro de Tapanatepec is a municipality in the Mexican state of Oaxaca and borders Chiapas. San Pedro is a drive of about 12 hours from México City and is the second filter after Tapachula, to which they must submit evading the immigration police in every possible way.

In this township is Asdrúbal Timaure, also a native of Lara state, and he is with ten more Lara natives waiting to be granted a permit to advance to México City and return to Venezuela.

In San Pedro, Venezuelans have the possibility to obtain safe-conducts through the creation of lists made up of 50 people that allow them to leave the country without being previously detained.

In his story, Timaure mentions that they have been waiting for that permission for 9 days to decide what they are going to do. He details that while waiting, they have had to find the means to survive.

In their case, they looked for a residence where now 18 people live, all Venezuelans and mostly from Lara State, in which they must pay 100 Mexican pesos a day.

The residence is nothing more than a shed and nothing like a house, where they are only offered a thin mat or a hammock. In that same place, they improvised some kitchens to prepare their food.

Among other things, he explains that they must have the equivalent of 10 dollars a day to cover food expenses. He adds that they try to prepare, at most, two meals a day to stretch the little money they still have.

Dismay and Disappointment

Each story that emerges from the Mexican borders is more heartbreaking than the other. Timaure says that everyone is in a terrible situation: they only feel dismayed, disappointed and worried about not knowing if they will even make it out of this nightmare alive.

He comments that in the municipality of San Pedro de Tapanatepec there are currently some 15,000 Venezuelan migrants, and that more compatriots continue to arrive daily.

He points out that about 90% of these people no longer have any money to continue the journey, so many have had to start selling water and soft drinks on street corners and thus collect some money that will allow them to return.

Uncertain Future

Debts and worried families is what awaits them when they arrive in Venezuela. Timaure mentions that many of his colleagues sold their assets to raise money and leave for the United States, but no one could predict that the US government would apply this new immigration measure.

“We don't know what to do. We just want to find a way out,” laments the young man.

Now his hopes are reduced to receiving permission from the Aztec government to advance to México City, look for a job in whatever, recover part of the money spent on the migratory trip and, sadly, return to Venezuela.

Others maintain their intention to reach the United States in any way. From México City move towards the northern border and look for some alternative to cross the border. And it is there where the coyotes appear, who for about 2,500 dollars, bring the migrants closer to the border area, but do not take them into North American territory.

There Is No Humanitarian Aid

Homeless, abandoned and hopeless are thousands of Venezuelans stranded in México. The two people interviewed for the preparation of this journalistic work, comment that they do not have the help or support of any human rights organization, which would allow them to go through this process in a more bearable way.

Clinging to faith, some Venezuelan migrants remain united, impatiently waiting for permits to continue the journey to an uncertain destination. Others still hope that a new light will come on in US immigration policy to continue with their initial plan to reach Uncle Sam's territory. But most likely, many have no choice but to return to Venezuela, with less money with which they left the country and with their souls broken by the frustration of not having achieved their American dream.

…

Read More: La Patilla – In the middle of nowhere and not knowing what to do: Drama of Venezuelan migrants stranded on the Mexican border

…

La Patilla in English