African Asylum Seekers Stuck In Mexico ‘Not Happy’ With US Immigration System
African migrants are expressing frustration over the Trump administration’s metering policy, which puts a cap on the number of asylum seekers who can enter the U.S. each day.
“We are not happy with the U.S. system, especially for the fact that you see that the number is not moving. Very few people are taken,” Luis, a migrant from Cameroon, said to the Los Angeles Times. “If you see people jumping over the river, it is because they are tired of staying here.”
Luis and hundreds of other migrants have set up camp in the Mexican border town of Ciudad Acuna as they wait for their turn to cross the border and lodge an asylum claim in the U.S. He is also one of a growing number of African migrants who have traveled thousands of miles to reach the U.S.-Mexico border — a perplexing phenomenon as the immigration crisis has largely been made up of families and children from Central American.
Border Patrol is reporting a “dramatic” rise in the number of African migrants appearing before agents. More than 500 individuals from the continent were apprehended in the Del Rio Sector alone between May 30 and June 5, according to Customs and Border Protection. In the first four months of 2019, the number of African migrants registered by Mexican authorities tripled in comparison to the same time period last year.
Most of these African migrants are from Cameroon, Congo and Angola.
President Donald Trump implemented metering in his first year in office. Under the policy, only limited number of asylum seeker can pass through a port of entry and make their claim. In the meantime, would-be asylum seekers on the Mexican side of the border are put on a list and must wait until their turn is next — a process that could take months.
The policy has proven effective at keeping migrants at bay.
The Associated Press estimated in May that around 13,000 people were waiting in Mexico to claim U.S. asylum. Thousands of immigrants have been sent back to other side of the border under another policy known as “Remain in Mexico,” a program that mandates immigrants wait in Mexico as their asylum claims are processed through the U.S court system. More than 15,000 migrants who illegally entered the U.S. and claimed asylum have been booted back to Mexico since January.
In the city of Ciudad Acuna, the wait list reportedly reached 500, with the Los Angeles Times guessing the actual number was closer to 700. People waiting to get in have since formed a camp near the Rio Grande, where hundreds live until their names reach the top of the list.
While African migrants are reportedly dissatisfied with the long wait times and unsanitary conditions of the camp, many of them are choosing to stay put.
“It is far better than anything we have seen in our country,” Luis said to the Los Angeles Times. “In our nation, we slept with corpses.”
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We don’t care how far you traveled to get here, we didn’t invite you here this is all on you! don’t listen to those UN ads they are full of shit!
Why don’t they find elsewhere that makes them happy.
And I care why they are unhappy with our system? Last time I checked they were not citizens of thius country!!!
Exactly, They know the asylum policy, even Obama said poverty, gang violence and economics is not a valid reason for asylum. Yet Liberals are saying your a Racist if you disagree with them but quickly forget what their King Obama did! Ok for him but racist if Trump suggest they seek asylum in their own Country! Just why are Africans in Mexico trying to jump the border, who paid their Air Fares, or cruse ships to Mexico. George Soros *Open Border Society* has been sending representatives to Somalia, with printed posters telling Moochers what they would receive if they crossed the border in Mexico, even George will give them a Debit card rated at 1500.00 bucks to get them started off. All Democrats who want free campaign Money has to join the *Open Borders Society* and we can see exactly what George has done to the European Union with their Shariah Law Mess! Sad when the Democrat Party cares more about non-citizens than its own!
People really need to stop affording these people undeserved legitimacy. Words really do have meanings and they are not always interchangeable.
These are not Migrants. Stop calling them that.
Migrants come here legally. They seldom if ever complain. They normally know where they will be living and working before they ever cross the border into the US. And at the end of the season they turn around and go back home again.
These are not Immigrants.
Immigrants come here legally. Again, they seldom complain. Immigrants want to integrate into our Society and become active, producing members of our Society.
These are not people who have come to ASK for help.
These are people who are under the impression that just because they want something, we are then obligated to give it to them.
They are not applying for asylum. They are CLAIMING asylum.
How did they get here?
We do not care how unhappy they are. Go Home.
Gerald- very well stated and I agree! Thank you!
Not happy with US laws? Tough. GO BACK HOME!