REYNOSA, Mexico – As the sun set on a makeshift tent city less than a mile from the Rio Grande on Tuesday, hundreds of immigrants gathered to share the news they feared:
Their wait to cross the nearby US border just got longer, indefinitely longer.
The news that the US Supreme Court had extended the health policy that practically closed the border to many migrants for almost two years went around the field, leaving dashed hopes and deep disappointment.
Roodline Pierre, 28, among a large crowd of Haitians gathered around their phones, shook his head as he described how he’d escaped a long list of hardships in Haiti with his wife and 14-month-old daughter.
“We can’t go back,” said Pierre.
“We left everything behind to be here.”
In a brief ruling delivered Tuesday afternoon, the Supreme Court blocked indefinitely a previous court order that would have rescinded the policy known as Title 42 and allowed thousands of migrants to go to a US port of entry and apply for asylum in the US.
The policy, which US authorities say is no longer needed to protect the country from the coronavirus, allows for the swift deportation of many migrants who cross the border without authorization, and large numbers of them have been waiting in Mexico for the expected end of the policy.
Instead, the policy could remain in place for several more months.
Pierre pointed out the miserable conditions around them. People cooked meat on rusty grills and woodpiles.
Children ran in and out of tents on the street.
Trash and used toiletries were scattered across an empty dirt lot.
“These are not conditions for children,” he said.
“No one should have to live like this. We want a better life and now we’re stuck here much longer.”
The policy made no sense, he said.
If US authorities were concerned that people were bringing COVID-19 into the US, he said, why didn’t they test each person individually and allow those who weren’t infected to apply for asylum?
A line of men, women and children had formed in front of a nearby shelter, Senda de Vida, which featured a large mural of a man walking between two flags, one Mexican and one American.
Most of the shelters along the border have reached capacity and those who cannot enter have had to find somewhere to sleep.
Daisy Rezino, 26, who had arrived from Guatemala a week earlier with her two young daughters, turned away from the growing line in disappointment.
Her two daughters snuggled with her as the night brought cooler winds.
“There’s no room for more people,” he said.
“We’ll have to sleep out here.”
Even Rezino expected better news. She wasn’t sure migrants from Guatemala would be turned back at the border under Title 42, but she was afraid to try to face a possible expulsion.
“We went through a lot to get here,” Rezino said.
“I don’t understand why they treat us like this. If they saw that we have to sleep here, without food or shelter.”
Extremely cold temperatures were particularly challenging during the Christmas holidays, especially at night, said Rezino and other migrants.
But as temperatures rose on Tuesday, many of the migrants camped out in the open said they were determined to stay as long as necessary.
For some, like Mario Vázquez, 57, and his friend José López, 33, both from Honduras, returning home was no longer an option.
Both sold most of their possessions to pay for the journey to the border. Together with their families, they had been sleeping for two weeks in tents made of sheets and other rudimentary materials.
They were silent for several minutes after learning that their chance to cross and plead their case before an asylum judge was exhausted. postponed indefinitely.
They wanted to work in the US, where relatives were waiting for them, and not be a burden, the men said.
But his situation seemed out of reach.
“I wanted to enter the United States,” Vázquez said.
“But we will cross when God allows us. Everything depends on Him.”
Lopez put his hands in his pockets and nodded.
c.2022 The New York Times Company
Source: Clarin
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.