Mexican Officials Clear Out Migrant Camp At Texas Border
(MENAFN- Trend News Agency)
Mexican authorities have cleared a makeshift encampment of
migrants in the northern border city of Reynosa that had grown over
the past year to hold some 2,000 people, Mexico's migration
institute (INM) said on Tuesday, Trend reports citing Reuters .
Many of the migrants, who are mainly from Guatemala, El
Salvador, Honduras and Haiti, were taken to a nearby shelter, INM
said in a statement.
The Reynosa camp formed in March 2021 in a public plaza right
across the U.S. border from McAllen, Texas. Many of the people
camping in tents or under tarps say they fled violence or
persecution in their home countries.
Images released by INM showed migrants walking in a long line
away from the camp on Monday night, toting suitcases, backpacks and
other belongings. INM said the people left close to 11 p.m. under
the watch of local police and the National Guard, a militarized
police.
The Reynosa camp had concerned migrant advocates due to its
location in one of Mexico's most dangerous border cities. In
February, Mexican authorities also cleared out a major migrant camp
in the border city of Tijuana where activists had criticized the
conditions.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas
discussed the U.S. strategy to prepare for the end of the policy
with Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard in a meeting in
Washington on Tuesday, his office said.
The two also spoke about ways for the United States and Mexico
to help regional efforts to manage borders and send back migrants
who do not qualify for humanitarian relief.
Christa Cook, a founder of U.S. aid group Solidarity Engineering
that provided potable water and toiletries for camp residents, said
only 400 people still remained at the Reynosa camp as of Monday
night, including about 150 children.
Many of the migrants, including families with young children,
had spent months living at the camp, which had grown to cover the
entire plaza.
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