Mexico sees a surge of migrants

The refugees from Haiti, Africa and Asia are looking to move to the United States

Mexican immigration authorities said on Saturday they have been hit by a surge of almost 5,000 Haitian, African and Asian migrants entering by the southern border in just a few days.

Recent experience suggests the 4,749 migrants entering through Mexico’s Tapachula immigration centre on the Guatemalan border will soon try to reach the California border, with many expected to apply for asylum.

Mexico’s National Immigration Institute said the migrants entered the country between September 21 and 23. It did not break them down according to country of origin, but recent trends suggest the majority are likely from Haiti.

That would mark a huge increase over the number seen so far this year. The institute said a total of 7,800 Haitian migrants entered Mexico through Guatemala between January 1 and September 21, as well as 1,701 migrants from Africa and 3,753 from various Asian countries.

The institute said that none of these migrants have requested permission to stay in Mexico. “Up to this moment, the institute has not received any requests from these foreigners for refuge, asylum or regularisation, because they have expressed that their desire is to reach the United States.”

The migrants cannot be sent back to their home countries, so Mexico gives them 20-day temporary visas so they can cross the country and get to the US.

However, this week the US government said it was widening efforts to deport Haitians in response to the wave of thousands of immigrants from the Caribbean nation who have overwhelmed California border crossings with Mexico in recent months.

Mexico said that in Baja California alone, about 1,230 Haitian, African and Asian migrants are waiting for asylum in the US, in many cases at border crossing gates or bridges. The institute said Mexico was trying to provide the asylum seekers with food and water while they waited for a US response.