RAID ON TENT CITY
Chaos as Mexica forces out migrants
Fires burned and scuffles broke out as Mexican authorities attempted to clear out a migrant camp of 500 to 800 people, mostly Venezuelans, feet away from the US border on Sunday.
“You can’t do this to us — there are children here!” cried one migrant woman during the chaotic scene in Juarez, Mexico, across the border from El Paso, Texas.
The camp started in mid-October, after President Biden announced pandemic-era restrictions would be applied to Venezuelans seeking asylum in the US. That meant people being expelled from the country to Mexico immediately under Title 42.
Venezuelans who had already left their homeland, usually walking for months to get to the US, started to camp out feet away from the crossing at El Paso on the Mexican bank of the Rio Grande.
Migrants lived in donated tents, some taking jobs while waiting for a change in policy that would allow them to cross into America.
The camp grew to over 1,000 people at one point and included families, women and children.
On Sunday, police in riot gear arrived with other Mexican authorities early in the morning. Officials explained they had an order to clear the camp, according to local news outlets. There have been fears that someone would freeze to death as temperatures dropped, as well as reports of migrants living in unsanitary conditions and lighting fires dangerously close to their flammable shelters.
The Post reported from the camp in mid-November and witnessed small children relieving themselves under a bridge within plain sight of camp. There were no toilets available or places to wash their hands or bathe.
When Mexican authorities told the migrants to leave, many pleaded to be allowed to stay.
“If you knew everything that we went through just to get here, you’d understand,” said one Venezuelan woman, referring to the arduous journey most migrants make through dangerous jungle and various Central American countries to reach the US.
Many refused to get on the buses headed to federal shelters.
Despite the pleas, Mexican authorities began tearing down the tents, prompting arguments and minor clashes.
Some tents were set on fire by the migrants in protest, according to the El Paso Times.
Throughout the ordeal, a row of Border Patrol agents gathered on the US side in case any migrants tried to cross the river. US officials denied any involvement in the decision to clear the camp and referred The Post’s inquiries to Mexican authorities.
By midday Sunday, most of the immigrants had fled into the streets of Juarez, with many saying they were afraid to go to the shelters for fear they would get deported from Mexico, reported El Diario de Juarez.