Immigrants seeking asylum arrive at Calexico
MEXICALI — On Friday morning, 185 immigrants, many of whom are natives of Haiti and western African countries such as Congo, were camping at the Parque de los Heroes de Chapultepec just across the border from Mexicali.
Most of them are seeking to get political asylum in the United States, while others are trying to connect with family members already living in the country.
The immigrants had lined up at the pedestrian crossing at the Calexico port of entry waiting to get processed but Mexican immigration officers moved them out due to security concerns and had them camp at the park until the matter got resolved.
A Mexican official who didn’t want to disclose his name said the immigrants were moved to the park, while Mexican immigration officials were in talks with U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers to find the best possible solution.
Mexican officials said they collected names and basic information of all the immigrants and sent the information to officials in the U.S.
The surge of Haitian immigrants began earlier this year as hundreds of them began to arrive at the San Ysidro port of entry, some of those who have been waiting for too long to get in the country have now begun to make their way to Mexicali in their effort to get into the U.S.
“We have persons of many nationalities who arrive at the Calexico and San Ysidro ports of entry and don’t have the legal documents required to enter into the U.S.,” said U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Public Information Officer John Campos in a statement. “Recently, we have seen an uptick in the number of Haitians arriving at both Calexico and San Ysidro ports with no status in the United States. We are processing them on a caseby-case basis.”
The agency further stated that once the agency has processed individuals with no status to legally enter the U.S., they are placed in removal proceedings according to their situation, and placed into the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further disposition.
Among the 185 people hoping to get into the country on Friday was 42-year-old Rivelino Vatelia.
Vatelia is originally from Haiti, he was one of the thousands of Haitians that relocated to Brazil after the 2010 earthquake that devastated the Caribbean nation.
“I had to leave Haiti. There is nothing in Haiti,” he said.
Due to the increasing economic struggles Brazil is experiencing, Vatelia had no other option but to make his way up north after spending almost three years in the South American nation. Vatelia initially arrived at Tijuana and later made his way to Mexicali to try his luck here.
Vatelia has family currently living in Miami and remains hopeful he’ll be able to connect with them.
Another Haitian man who chose not to disclose his name said he was worried about being left out in the open with for an extended period of time due to sanitary and weather concerns.
Just like Vatelia, he left Haiti for Brazil and has spent the last seven months making his way up north.
“We’re just trying to get a better life,” he said. “Right now we have nothing. No money, no food, no shelter.”
According to data provided by the USCBP, the total number of inadmissible Haitians that came to the ports of entry in the San Diego area which includes the Calexico Port of Entry was a total of 818 in the two previous years, the numbers for the current fiscal year have skyrocketed to more than 3,000.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Lauren Mack said that once in the custody of ICE each immigrant is processed individually to determine whether they may need to be kept in detention or are eligible for an alternative detention program.
Mack said alternative detention programs can involve the use of ankle monitors, as well as a supervised release program that requires an immigrant to keep in frequent contact with immigration officials.
“The criteria that ICE uses to determine whether an individual should remain in custody include having a prior criminal record, being considered a flight risk or threat to the community or national security, as well as not having contacts in the country that can serve as a sponsor to house the immigrant,” Mack said. “Typically, immigrants who lack the legal status to remain in the U.S. and are apprehended in the Valley are housed at the Imperial Regional Detention Facility, yet there are exemptions.”
Although Mexican immigration officials were waiting to get the green light from their superiors to allow the immigrants to make their way into the port of entry, one official said that the local police department told them to move them out of the park. The officials were left with no option but to send them back to the line of the port of entry to wait to get processed.
After many months and miles of travel, the fate of the migrants now rest in the hands of U.S. immigration officials.