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☆ Over 1,000 migrants, angered by asylum policies, rush to U.S.-Mexico border
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Lizbeth Diaz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Migrants said a new U.S. government app meant to streamline the process of securing asylum appointments from outside the United States has left them feeling fed up and helpless. A false rumor circulated on social media Wednesday that migrants surrendering at a specific spot at the border would be able to freely cross into U.S. territory. As they waited for a chance to cross the border, Border Patrol agents and Texas National Guard troops stood motionless in front of the massive metal gate, preventing them from getting through. Multiple migrants said they tried unsuccessfully to obtain a virtual appointment to start the asylum process in the U.S. Since the Biden administration rolled out the app in January, asylum seekers have complained of glitches, high demand, and a lack of appointments.

☆ Migrants were locked behind bars during deadly Mexico fire, witnesses say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Lizbeth Diaz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico, March 29 (Reuters) - Migrants were locked in a cell as a blaze spread killing 39 people at a detention center in Mexico, witnesses and a survivor said on Wednesday, as Mexico's president vowed to bring to justice those responsible. "There'll be no attempt to hide the facts, no attempt to cover for anyone," he told a news conference in Mexico city. All the victims were male, and Mexico's government is under pressure to find out why they died after officials said the women migrants at the center were successfully evacuated. Outside a hospital in Ciudad Juarez, which sits across the border from El Paso, Texas, family members anxiously waited for news of their loved ones who had been injured in the fire. Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz in Ciudad Juarez and Daina Beth Solomon, Dave Graham and Valentine Hilaire in Mexico City; Writing by Anthony Esposito; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ At least ten dead after fire at migrant facility in Mexico's Ciudad Juarez - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico, March 28 (Reuters) - At least 10 people died after a fire at a migrant facility in Mexico's Ciudad Juarez, near the U.S. border, two sources with the local government told Reuters. Volunteer rescue workers put the figure of deceased at 37, plus many more injured. Reporting by Jose Luis Gonzalez in Ciudad Juarez and Lizbeth Diaz in Mexico City; Writing by Brendan O'Boyle; Editing by Anthony EspositoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/6] Migrants, transferred from Plattsburgh, New York to El Paso, Texas, disembark from a plane at the airport, in El Paso, Texas, U.S. March 21, 2023. U.S. Border Patrol has quietly transported about 100 migrants this month on two charter flights from Plattsburgh, New York, near the border with Canada, to the Texas cities of Harlingen and El Paso. At the same time, asylum seekers have been crossing from the United States into Canada in record numbers, straining resources. Gil Kerlikowske, a former commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Border Patrol's parent agency, said he could not recall the agency using charter flights for migrants caught crossing from Canada. "That's what caused more and more people to go to the northern border to cross into the United States," he said.

☆ Mexican president says more fentanyl enters the U.S. and Canada than Mexico
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

However, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told a news conference it was not Mexico that was responsible for the introduction of most fentanyl into the United States. "I maintain that more fentanyl reaches the United States and Canada directly than reaches Mexico," he said. Lopez Obrador, who has bristled at suggestions the U.S. could intervene in Mexico, said Mexican officials had explained to him that only blue fentanyl pills turned up in Mexico. "Over in the United States they've got all colors and flavors," the president said. Asked whether there were fentanyl production labs in the country, Lopez Obrador said "yes" but underlined that the raw materials used to make the drug were coming from Asia.

☆ Hundreds of migrants try to force their way into US at Mexico border
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Jose Luis Gonzalez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Migrants, mostly from Venezuela, try to cross the barrier of the Mexican army, to enter the Paso del Norte international bridge, during a protest to request asylum in the United States, seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, March 12, 2023. Frustrated with problems securing appointments to seek asylum using a new U.S. government app, the migrants gathered at the frontier in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez, but could not breach the crossing connecting the two countries. At one point, some migrants attempted to hurl an orange, plastic barrier at the U.S. line, Reuters images show. Neither U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) nor the Mexican government's national migration authority immediately replied to requests for comment. They say the app is beset by persistent glitches and high demand, leaving them in limbo in perilous border regions.

REUTERS/Jose Luis GonzalezMEXICO CITY, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Dozens of migrant families are splitting up at Mexico's northern border as they struggle to secure U.S. asylum appointments on a government app beset by high demand and persistent glitches, migrants and advocates say. The 15-year-old decided to turn himself in at the border after his pregnant mother could only secure a solo appointment, Santiago said. U.S. President Joe Biden's administration made the app, called CBP One, directly available to asylum seekers in mid-January, aiming to make asylum requests at the border safer and more orderly. On a recent morning at a shelter in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez, migrants awoke in the middle of the night to upload applications, including a selfie photo scan prone to slow processing. Her husband traveled to the Mexican border city of Nogales alone last week for his appointment, scheduled for March 3.

☆ Tattooed Mexican cat seeks new home after life behind bars
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Jose Luis GonzalezMEXICO CITY, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Wanted: A new home for a one-of-a-kind feline in Mexico. Authorities say they are now looking for the right family to take the cat, which is not for sale, into their home. "The cat is very sociable, and is in great shape, with no infections," Cesar Rene Diaz, ecology director for the city of Juarez, told Reuters. A committee of city authorities will make the final decision about the adoption before presenting the cat to its new family in a ceremony on March 1. Reporting by Reuters TV; Writing by Brendan O'Boyle; Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Biden to roll out new asylum restrictions at U.S.-Mexico border -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Ted Hesson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Migrants queue near the border fence, after crossing the Rio Bravo river, to request asylum in El Paso, Texas, U.S., as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico January 5, 2023. REUTERS/Jose Luis GonzalezWASHINGTON, Feb 21 (Reuters) - The Biden administration could bar tens of thousands of migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border from claiming asylum if they passed through another country en route to the United States without seeking protection, according to a proposed regulation rolling out on Tuesday, five sources told Reuters. The proposed restrictions, which seek to deter people from crossing the border without authorization, will be subject to a 30-day public comment period and then reviewed before final publication, two of the sources said. While Biden initially pledged to restore asylum access that was curtailed under Republican former President Donald Trump, he has increasingly embraced Trump-style restrictions. Biden's plan to ban certain asylum seekers mirrors similar efforts under Trump that were blocked by federal courts.

☆ One killed, three wounded in Texas mall shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 15 (Reuters) - (This Feb. 15 story has been refiled to delete an extraneous quote in paragraph 2)One person was killed and three were wounded on Wednesday in a shooting at an El Paso, Texas, shopping mall, police said. A police spokesman, Robert Gomez, told reporters one suspect was in custody, but media reports said a second person was also taken into custody following the shooting at Texas' Cielo Vista Mall. [1/4] Shoppers leave as law enforcement members respond to a shooting at the Cielo Vista Mall, in El Paso, Texas, U.S February 15,2023. This is a large scene as it being a mall, so it's going to take time," Gomez said, adding he had no information on the condition of the wounded. The Cielo Vista mall is next to the Walmart store where a gunman killed 23 people on Aug. 3, 2019.

☆ Haitians in the U.S. feel pressure to sponsor friends, family back home
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Brian Ellsworth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"Many people unfortunately are not in a position to sponsor family members or friends back home, but they are receiving calls nonstop." She said her clients have described being expected to sponsor entire extended families and in some cases face threats. "I would say it's also a program that will place undue stress on families and cause family divisions." "People will say 'I have more than one cousin I would like to sponsor, I'm only able to sponsor one of them,'" Jozef said. She is also opposed to the expulsions of Haitians and other migrants arriving at the southwest border, many who are seeking U.S. asylum.

REUTERS/Jacob GarciaCIUDAD JUAREZ/MEXICO CITY, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Migrants on Mexico's northern border on Wednesday began entering the United States using a mobile app designed to facilitate the process of applying for asylum, although several quickly reported difficulties in using the system. Castellanos, who spoke as he was lining up to enter Laredo, Texas, from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, recommended migrants avoid taking risks to cross and to use the app instead. To receive a U.S. appointment, migrants first must go to a border entry point in Mexico determined by the app. Some migrants told Reuters the app only had appointments far from where they currently are. Reporting by Jose Luis Gonzalez in Ciudad Juarez and Lizbeth Diaz in Mexico City, additional reporting by Ted Hesson in Washington; editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ New York Mayor says "no room" in his city for migrants
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Tim Reid | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] New York City Mayor Eric Adams stands outside a shelter during his visit to discuss immigration with local authorities in El Paso, Texas, U.S., January 15, 2023. REUTERS/Jose Luis GonzalezLOS ANGELES, Jan 15 (Reuters) - The mayor of New York traveled to the Mexican border city of El Paso on Sunday and declared that "there is no room in New York" for busloads of migrants being sent to America's most populous city. The visit of a New York mayor to a southern border city about the issue of immigrants is unprecedented. Busloads of migrants have been shipped north to New York and other cities by Republican run states. That has exacerbated a housing crisis in New York and a worsening homeless crisis in the city.

The policy was put into effect by Trump's administration in February 2020 and ended by Biden's in March 2021. The judge later rejected the Republican bid to intervene, saying the request by the state officials came too late, and the Chicago-based 7th U.S. The Republican officials had told the justices that they should be able to defend Trump's rule, saying it has been estimated to save states collectively about $1 billion annually. The Supreme Court last year heard arguments over a separate bid by Republican state officials to intervene in defense of Trump's public charge rule but ultimately dismissed the case without resolving the issue. Texas on Thursday filed a separate federal lawsuit challenging Biden's rule.

[1/3] Julio Marquez and Yalimar Chirinos, migrants from Venezuela, display signs near the border between the United States and Mexico, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, January 7, 2023. He has the same message for U.S. President Joe Biden, who visits the Texas city of El Paso, just across the border, on Sunday. "We hope he helps us, that he lets us pass, since we're suffering a lot here in Mexico," said Marquez, 32. "Send me wherever you want, I'll come back," said Jonathan Tovar, 29, speaking on Friday from behind the fence of Mexico's migration office in Ciudad Juarez. "I want the president of the United States to give me and my family a chance."

[1/4] Migrants queue near the border fence, after crossing the Rio Bravo river, to request asylum in El Paso, Texas, U.S., as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico January 5, 2023. Initial backlash to Biden's policy shift also signals it could be challenged in court, from both those who favor restricting immigration and advocates for asylum seekers. The restrictions, known as Title 42, allow U.S. authorities to rapidly expel migrants caught at the border back to Mexico without the chance to claim asylum in the United States. The Biden administration tried last year to end the Title 42 border restrictions, but U.S. courts have left them in place and legal challenges are ongoing. The court rulings that left the Title 42 order in place give the Biden administration time to experiment with different strategies.

☆ Mexican cartel leader dies in shootout after mass jail break
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Jose Luis GonzalezMEXICO CITY, Jan 5 (Reuters) - An escaped Mexican cartel kingpin known as "El Neto" died after a shootout early on Thursday, four days after he fled prison in a violent mass break-out, authorities said. He was injured, but on the way (to the state attorney general's offices) he died," Chihuahua state governor Maru Campos said on Twitter. At least seven people, including police, were killed in another confrontation during the search in the state on Monday, authorities said. State prosecutors in Chihuahua said the head of the Juarez prison had been dismissed and was under investigation alongside others. Reporting by Isabel Woodford; Editing by Jackie Botts and Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Collapse, contamination: Mexican scientists sound alarm at Mayan Train
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Anuja Jaiman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Luz Elba Damas Jimenez, 69, eats with her family, in the town of Xkuncheil, Tenabo, Campeche, Mexico, May 10, 2022. Jimenez owns a small store selling soda and snacks near the new Mayan Train route. Many of her neighbours, especially the young men,...moreLuz Elba Damas Jimenez, 69, eats with her family, in the town of Xkuncheil, Tenabo, Campeche, Mexico, May 10, 2022. Jimenez owns a small store selling soda and snacks near the new Mayan Train route. Many of her neighbours, especially the young men, are working on the project, she said.

☆ Death toll rises to 19 from prison attack in Mexican border town
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Members of the Mexican Army arrive at Cereso number 3 state prison after unknown assailants entered the prison and freed several inmates, resulting in injuries and deaths, according to local media, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico January 1, 2023. REUTERS /Jose Luis GonzalezMEXICO CITY, Jan 2 (Reuters) - An attack on a prison in the Mexican border town of Juarez left 19 dead and allowed a cartel kingpin to escape along with two dozen other prisoners, authorities said Monday. The attack allowed 25 inmates, including Ernesto Alfredo Pinon de la Cruz, also known as "El Neto," to escape. She added that state authorities had not requested that any dangerous prisoners, such as "El Neto," be transferred from the overcrowded prison to a higher-security location. The incident Sunday resulted in one of the highest death tolls from prison attacks in Mexico in recent years.

☆ Head of Mexican jailbreak prison fired, deadly manhunt gathers pace
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Jose Luis GonzalezMEXICO CITY, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Mexican authorities on Tuesday said they had fired the director of a prison near the U.S. border where at least 30 inmates escaped at the weekend after a deadly riot, as police began a manhunt for missing convicts. State prosecutors in the border state of Chihuahua said Alejandro Alvarado, head of the prison in the city of Ciudad Juarez, had been dismissed, and is also under investigation for his possible role in the jailbreak, alongside others. Federal authorities arrived to restore order, later finding a "VIP zone" in the state-run prison with drugs and money. On Monday night, Chihuahua's government said seven people had died during subsequent police clashes as part of the hunt to find the escaped inmates. Sunday's incident resulted in one of the highest death tolls from prison violence in Mexico in recent years.

☆ At least 14 dead in armed attack on prison in Mexican border city Juarez
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Members of the Mexican Army arrive at Cereso number 3 state prison after unknown assailants entered the prison and freed several inmates, resulting in injuries and deaths, according to local media, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico January 1, 2023. REUTERS /Jose Luis GonzalezMEXICO CITY, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Mexican authorities said on Sunday at least 14 people died in an armed attack at a prison in the northern border city Juarez and two more died during a later armed aggression elsewhere in the city. The Chihuahua state prosecutor said in a statement that among those who died in the prison attack were 10 security personnel and four inmates, while another 13 were hurt and at least 24 escaped. In a different part of the city, two more drivers died later in the day following what authorities called an armed aggression. The state prosecutor did not specify whether the three incidents were related.

Dec 27 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday left in place for now a pandemic-era policy allowing U.S. officials to rapidly expel migrants caught at the U.S.-Mexico border. The court said it would hear arguments on whether the states could intervene to defend Title 42 in its February session. Enrique Lucero, director of migration affairs in Tijuana, said it was "absurd" that Title 42 remained in place, noting the city had a large backlog of U.S. asylum seekers. It also failed to weigh the harm asylum seekers would face from Title 42, he said. When a federal appeals court on Dec. 16 declined to allow them to intervene and put Sullivan's order on hold, they took the matter to the Supreme Court.

[1/3] Migrants run to hide from the U.S. Border Patrol and Texas State Troopers after crossing into the United States from Mexico, in El Paso, Texas, U.S., December 23, 2022. On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court granted a request by a group of Republican state attorneys general to put on hold a judge's decision invalidating Title 42. The court said it would hear arguments on whether the states could intervene to defend Title 42 during its February session. "If they don't end Title 42," he said, "we're going to keep entering illegally." Elsewhere along the border, other migrants said they felt they had run out of options.

The Title 42 order was first implemented in March 2020 under Republican former President Donald Trump at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Close to half of those arrested were rapidly expelled under the Title 42 policy. In that case, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan in Washington, D.C., sided with the migrants on Nov. 15 and ruled Title 42 was unlawful. He said the government also failed to weigh the harm asylum seekers would face from the Title 42 order. When a federal appeals court on Dec. 16 declined to allow them to intervene and put Sullivan's order on hold, they took the matter to the Supreme Court.

After the U.S. Supreme Court this week ruled that restrictions known as Title 42 could stay in place temporarily, many migrants are facing a Christmas weekend of what Mexico's weather service called a "mass of arctic air." said Walmix Juin, a 32-year-old Haitian migrant preparing for the weekend in a flimsy tent in the city of Reynosa, across the border from McAllen, Texas. Title 42 allows the United States to return migrants to Mexico or certain countries without a chance to request asylum. Without clarity on when it will finish, some officials worry their cities could be overwhelmed if more migrants turn up. "U.S. migration policy has a big impact here on the border," Reynosa Mayor Carlos Pena Ortiz said on Friday.

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