Unlike U.S., northern Mexico welcomes Haitians with open arms, although there are signs of tension
MONTERREY, Mexico – This bustling, affluent city will do Jean Rodmique and his family for the time being. Maybe, he says, forever.
Your original destination was Florida. But the planned trip, Rodmique said, got “too complicated” when news spread that the US had been cracking down on Haitians who were trying to cross the border en masse in Del Rio in recent weeks.
“Monterrey feels right now,” he said as his wife braided his hair and their 11-month-old baby slept outside the largest migrant shelter in northern Mexico.
More and more migrants are settling in the north of the country, whether permanently or temporarily, while they wait for the border to cool down before trying again to enter the US Tolerance.
With immigration being an ever controversial issue in the United States, it has fallen on Mexican border towns like Tijuana, Juarez, Matamoros, and now the great urban center of Monterrey, about 120 miles from the Texas border, to get involved and take refuge in the growing crowds to cater to – the vast majority of newcomers these days Haitians – looking for a better life.
An 11-month-old baby sleeps in front of Casa Indi, which serves as a dining room and shelter for migrants and street residents. In the city of Monterrey, Mexico, Wednesday, September 29, 2021. (Emilio Espeje / special article)
Mexico has taken in some refugees from countries like Spain, Chile, Argentina and Cuba in the past. Recently, groups of Afghans were even greeted.
But never before, said Father De Jesus Sanchez, had so many migrants reached the heart of the state of Nuevo Leon – Monterrey – so quickly and in great numbers within a few days. The city is one of the richest in Latin America and is home to the world’s leading conglomerates and posh neighborhoods with cultural and economic ties to Texas, especially Dallas.
“We are all children of God,” said Father Felipe de Jesus Sanchez Gallegos and founder of Casa Indi, one of the largest migrant shelters in northern Mexico. “We know the United States is a country of immigration, even if it contradicts itself. We have no choice but to help and show some humanity, to respect their dignity. “
In the past two weeks, Casa Indi has more than quadrupled and serves more than 1,700 migrants. Many camp outside under tarpaulins. Another 1,000 are expected to arrive in the coming days.
Thousands more are on the way, mostly Haitians who were on their way to Ciudad Acuña across from Del Rio or were returning from there. Many said they revised their plans after learning the Biden government was deporting thousands to Haiti and seeing pictures of border guards on horseback preventing Haitian migrants from crossing the Rio Grande.
“When I saw these pictures on the news, I felt like the United States was just a bad dream,” said Marckendy Jeanine, 26, who was sitting here in a bus station, wondering whether to go to Mexico City or maybe to Querétaro should go. because there are too many Haitians here in Monterrey and it seems that too many black people in one place scare people. “
Marckendy Jeanine, 26, poses for a portrait at the central bus station in Monterrey, Mexico on Wednesday, September 29, 2021. (Emilio Espeje / special article)
Experts say migration stems from weak economies made worse by the global coronavirus pandemic, climate change, poverty, corrupt governments and growing xenophobia around the world.
Mexico plans to help many refugees, most of whom have migrated north from Chile and Brazil as their economy has been strained under the pressure of the coronavirus pandemic. They immigrated there from Haiti after the 2010 earthquake that killed at least 200,000 people.
Like many of his compatriots, these Haitians spent several years in Brazil after the 2010 earthquake before moving to Chile – hence their basic knowledge of Spanish. Many interviewed here in Monterrey said they were fleeing from what they called anti-immigrant attitudes and racism.
Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard appeared before the Senate this week and said the Mexican Refugee Aid Commission has indicated that at least 13,255 Haitians can apply for asylum in the country.
“What will Mexico’s position be like? Those who want refugee status will be granted it, ”Ebrard told the senators. Ebrard is expected to be a candidate for the 2024 presidential election.
How and when Haitians will be asked for asylum is unknown as COMAR is overwhelmed by the numbers, say critics. There were 90,000 asylum applications in the first nine months of this year, up 30 percent from all of 2019. In addition, Mexico began deporting Haitians last week, sending 71 back to Haiti.
In Monterrey, the Regiomontanos, as the locals are called, are preparing for the newcomers who come from the poorest country in the western hemisphere and who now find themselves in a modern, urban metropolis.
The opposing worlds can be seen on the grounds of Casa Indi next to the Church of Santa María Goretti. Outside, the shelter has been converted into an open air camp.
Plans are everywhere. Clotheslines hang from a footbridge that spans one of the busiest boulevards in the city. On a new day, hundreds of Haitians were walking around, sweating under the high 90’s temperature and striking flies, some angry at the sight of journalists invading their lives.
A view of a bridge that houses a makeshift camp for Haitian migrants and Central Americans in Monterrey, Mexico on Tuesday, September 28, 2021. (Emilio Espeje / special article)
Toddlers sleep or cry for ice cream at the sight of a street vendor. Some wait in long lines to use the toilet, shower, or pick up food. Many others are queuing up to charge their cell phones with extension cords.
Nearby, young men – Haitians, Venezuelans, and Central Americans – kicked a soccer ball, causing a rare smile.
On that day, a number of new SUV models, trucks and other vehicles were used with donations. At least 100 arrive every day, volunteers say. In about 15 minutes, José Jaime Salinas, coordinator of Casa Indi, answered six calls from residents asking about the needs of the camp.
“No more Pampers,” he tells a caller. “How about some tacos or fruits, nuts – something you can eat now?”
A local walks in and sits across from Salinas, who asks, “How are you, sir?”
“I have been blessed and blessed by God to help one another,” he says, giving a donation of 1,000 pesos, or about $ 100.
Two sisters, Catalina Marcos and Salome Marcos, asked about the most urgent needs of the shelter. Including water, canned food, baby food and donations.
“Our ancestors also needed refuge,” says Catalina. “You came from Lebanon and found an opportunity here.”
“We’re just paying it up,” added Salome.
Outside, thanks to Roberta Clarion Rangel and her friend Erika Lankenau, more donations arrived. Clarion led an organized action through contacts on WhatsApp that filled three vehicles with goods for the migrant camp.
“Mexico is no longer a transit point,” explains Lankenau. “We are a destination now and we want migrants to feel less alone. I see them with their children and I know that things must be really bad when they risk and sacrifice so much for their families. “
“As Mexicans, we have long held the United States responsible for the way it treated our compatriots,” added Clarion, referring to her ancestors, mostly Jews, who fled Spanish religious persecution. “Now it is our turn to get involved and help migrants in need. It is a humanitarian, human rights issue. “
This has not gone unnoticed by the Haitians, who admire the generosity. Some admitted that their original intention was to get to Texas. But they reconsider as they see signs of rarer inviting warmth.
Others remain cautious. Eddy Gedioncelet walked into a supermarket and glanced at the top headline of a leftover issue of El Norte, a leading Monterrey newspaper, from 23 September. It said: lead to a crisis.
Attached to the article was a picture of Texas DPS vehicles lined up along the Rio Grande in Del Rio to create a “steel border” preventing migrants from entering the US. There was also a picture of Haitians in the Casa Indi.
“That’s why I don’t speak to reporters,” Gedioncelet told a Haitian who was interviewed by a journalist. “Soon Mexico will hate us too.”
Salinas, the coordinator of Casa Indi, understands how the migrants feel.
Jose Jaime Salinas, the shelter’s coordinator. (Emilio Espeje / special article)
“Immigration is a sensitive issue. Out of 10 calls, nine are really supportive and want to help, ”he told the shelter. “You want me to kick the Haitians out of here and send them back where they came from.
“Tomorrow I fear that these numbers could turn around. We have to do our best to educate our community about tolerance because this is just beginning. “
De Jesus Sanchez is concerned about the fate of so many Haitians who go missing in a region that has long been dominated by organized crime. He is concerned about the dangers they face, some of which may be forced into prostitution, pornography, or organ sales.
After the show of force by Texas state troops and other officials along the Rio Grande in Del Rio, and after the Biden government promptly deported thousands of Haitians who got there, an estimated 8,000 migrants returned to Mexico, where officials asked them to complete asylum applications.
The priest is angry with the neighboring state of Texas and its own President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who does not speak up or advocate for migrants in areas that were once part of Mexico, including Texas and Arizona.
“Texas was once part of Mexico,” he said. “Shame. You are a shame. I wish AMLO had the pants to withstand the territories that General Santa Ana sold for a ridiculous price.”
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