By Carlos Zúñiga -
EFE Agency
Christmas is a painful date for thousands of migrants stranded on the Mexican border with the United States who spend the holidays in shelters or, failing that, under the roof of a tent in a makeshift camp.
Among the migrant families in the city of Tijuana is Lizbeth, a young woman from Honduras who has been at the border for three months.
She arrived accompanied by her two daughters, fleeing the violence in her country and looking for an opportunity to cross into the United States.
However, they did not find a less hostile border, as the president, Joe Biden had promised in his electoral campaign, which has been particularly regrettable for her, especially at this time.
[From Bethlehem to New York, COVID-19 clouds Christmas again]
“It is difficult, especially when
one thinks that changing places is better and then perhaps it is more difficult than one imagines
.
Arriving at a place like this is like getting lost in time, our roots are left behind ”, said Lizbeth.
They organize a posada with sweets and piñatas in a migrant shelter in Tijuana
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Regarding Christmas Eve and Christmas, she mentioned that she would rather not tell her seven-year-old daughter when the exact day is, as it would be sad to see her not receive any gifts or because it could affect her being separated from the rest of the family.
"Christmas is not the best drink for me, it is the worst, it is the most bitter there can be, although I do wish this Christmas to be the best for others.
My daughter is young, she is seven years old and she does not know what day is Christmas, "he said
.
"Getting to explain it (to her daughter) I think would be the most difficult part, because everyone is waiting for a call, a message, a gift," he added with tears in his eyes.
Silent Night?
The outlook in Tijuana, the busiest border crossing in northern Mexico, reflects the record flow into the United States.
The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has registered more than 1.7 million illegal immigrants detained at the border with Mexico in fiscal year 2021.
The Mexican government has received criticism for its treatment of migrants and the current deployment of more than 28,000 members of the Armed Forces on the northern and southern borders for migratory tasks.
[Christmas in Quarantine: The stories of those who contracted COVID-19 just before the holidays]
A person disguised as an elf gives toys to migrants, in the city of Tijuana, Baja California state (Mexico).
Joebeth Terriquez / EFE
Biden also agreed with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to reestablish the
Stay in Mexico
program this December , which forces those who want to request asylum in the United States to wait for their process in Mexican territory.
As of early December alone,
there were 26,500 petitioners on waiting lists in eight Mexican border cities
, according to a study by the University of Texas at Austin.
Among them was Samanta, also originally from Honduras, who said she has mixed emotions because she is sad to be away from home, but happy because she is under the protection of a shelter, where she can participate in a planned Christmas dinner.
Although the Government of Mexico has promised a "humanitarian and solidary" migration policy, it is the shelters and civil associations that have welcomed migrants.
Migrant families live an unforgettable Christmas in a Mexican refuge with the help of the community
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In contrast, Mexican authorities have detained more than 252,000 migrants so far this year and deported more than 100,000, according to the Migration Policy Unit of the Ministry of the Interior (Segob), which represents figures not seen in more than 15 years.
[This Mexican persecuted by La Luz del Mundo obtained asylum in the United States and wants to help others to leave the church]
According to José María García Lara, director of the Juventud 2000 shelter in Tijuana, at least in the space he directs there are more than 120 migrants who were waiting for a dinner this Christmas Eve, for that reason turkeys and a small inn were prepared for them on the night of the 24th. from December.
