Mexico reactivates asylum procedures at the southern border after migrant protests

The Mexican Commission for Aid to Refugees (Comar) reactivated this Wednesday the asylum procedures on the southern border with greater order after days of protests of about 5,000 migrants who were seeking to obtain their documents.

The authorities ordered the migrants by country, placed riot police and metal fences around the perimeter of the offices of the Comar headquarters in Tapachula, on the Mexico-Guatemala border.

LOOK HERE: Thousands of migrants protest to demand asylum on the southern border of Mexico

Most of them have entered migrants from South America, Central America and Africa.

Groups of migrants demonstrated in front of the facilities of the Mexican Commission for Aid to Refugees (Comar) on January 3, 2023, in Tapachula, Chiapas state, Mexico. (Photo by Juan Manuel Blanco / EFE)

In the previous days, the Comar suspended the procedures to request asylum in the midst of protests by migrants, who denounced the lack of order and attention from the Mexican Government.

The Cuban migrant Denis, who was lining up to enter the facilities where they prepare their documents, indicated that he now feels calm, unlike the two previous days.

”Today we have more organization, calm and we Cubans ourselves made lists and made some little tickets (tickets) to be able to order ourselves and keep the line so that disorder does not occur.”, he told EFE.

The authorities have allowed groups of 20 people to enter and this same day they give them a price for the month of September.

Another case is the Honduran migrant Marcos, who had to wait four days to enter the offices, but the agency informed him that they must wait for the response for the other appointment by mail.

Groups of migrants demonstrated in front of the facilities of the Mexican Commission for Aid to Refugees (Comar) on January 3, 2023, in Tapachula, Chiapas state, Mexico. (Photo by Juan Manuel Blanco / EFE)

”All good, all excellent, they already attended us, it was not difficult, we passed quickly”, he exposed.

However, thousands of Haitian migrants remain waiting to be treated under the strong rays of the sun, without water, food, without basic services and waiting to resolve their procedures.

In the place there are around 2,000 Haitian migrants, including children, adolescents and adults, who remain lined up in order, since the authorities have given them a waiting time to enter.

MORE INFORMATION: There are already at least 500 migrants who have arrived in the Florida Keys in recent days

In the morning, elements of the National Guard and Comar personnel entered to control the situation and ask them to form up.

The fact reflects the record migratory flow to the United States, whose Office of Customs and Border Protection (CBP, in English) detained an unprecedented number of more than 2.76 million undocumented immigrants in fiscal year 2022.

In addition, during 2022, according to Comar data, Mexico received 118,478 petitions from migrants seeking asylum, the second highest figure after 2021 with 131,448 cases.

Source: Elcomercio