Current:Home > NewsMigrants burst into southern Mexico asylum office demanding papers-DB Wealth Institute B2 Reviews & Ratings
Migrants burst into southern Mexico asylum office demanding papers
lotradecoin demo account features View Date:2024-12-26 03:49:03
TAPACHULA, Mexico (AP) — Migrants, mostly from Haiti, burst into an asylum office in southern Mexico on Monday, demanding papers.
Throngs of migrants knocked over metal barricades and rushed into the office in the city of Tapachula, pushing past National Guard officers and police stationed at the office. Some of the migrants were trampled by their colleagues in the rush.
Authorities later convinced many to leave, and no injuries were reported.
The tension comes as asylum claims in Mexico have skyrocketed, reaching over 100,000 so far this year.
Crowds of frustrated migrants, including many from Cuba and Honduras, say they have had to wait for weeks in some cases for an appointment at the office in Tapachula, near the border with Guatemala.
At the office, run by the Mexican Commission for Refugee Aid, migrants can file claims for asylum in Mexico. Most, however, intend to use the papers to travel more safely and easily to the U.S. border.
“It’s very complicated, there are too many people here, the Haitians get desperate, they knock over the barricades and that only makes the process slower,” said Cuban migrant Miguel Argoten.
Argoten said he had been waiting a week in Tapachula to start the asylum application process. The office has been getting about 2,000 appointment requests per day recently.
Mexico is on track to receive more asylum applications this year than ever before as the flow of migrants threatens to overwhelm governments of several Latin American countries along the migratory route.
Andrés Ramírez Silva, the director of Mexico’s refugee agency, said last week that the number of asylum applications his agency receives this year could reach 150,000, well above the 129,000 record set in 2021.
“Effectively we have a pace that is very above what we have in our record year that was 2021,” Ramírez Silva said. If that pace continues he predicted they could reach 150,000 by year’s end. Through August they already had 100,000 — 25% above the same period in 2021 — more than half at Mexico’s shared border with Guatemala.
Some migrants got unruly during the wait last week and pushed their way into the agency’s offices, which led to the deployment of National Guard officers, who had little luck in keeping order.
Ramírez Silva said Cubans, Haitians and Hondurans have made up about 80% of the asylum applications at the Tapachula office. He said his agency had asked the federal government for more resources to expand its capacity.
____
Follow AP’s global migration coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/migration
veryGood! (276)
Related
- How a small group of nuns in rural Kansas vex big companies with their investment activism
- Patrick and Brittany Mahomes' Daughter Sterling Gets a Chanel Purse for Her 2nd Birthday
- Death and grief in 'Succession'; plus, privacy and the abortion pill
- Kelly Osbourne Shares Honest Message on Returning to Work After Giving Birth to Her Son
- Millions of kids are still skipping school. Could the answer be recess — and a little cash?
- Wrapped in a blanket, this cozy community poem celebrates rest and relaxation
- You Need to See Selena Gomez's Praise for Girl Crush Bella Hadid
- Louder Than a Riot: Trina and her larger-than-life persona in hip-hop
- Conservative are pushing a ‘parental rights’ agenda in Florida school board races. But will it work?
- Rebel Wilson and Ramona Agruma Are Engaged
Ranking
- Rob Schneider Responds to Daughter Elle King Calling Out His Parenting
- Behati Prinsloo Shares First Photo With Adam Levine Since Welcoming Baby No. 3
- Rollicking 'Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves' scores a critical hit
- Constance Wu Is Pregnant, Expecting Baby No. 2
- How you can get a free scoop of ice cream at Baskin Robbins Wednesday
- Spring Swimwear Must-Haves: Shop 20 Essential Bikinis, Bandeaus, One-Pieces & More
- See Mark Consuelos Join Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest on Live After Co-Host Announcement
- Shop These 28 Top-Selling Lululemon Styles at Great Prices on Presidents' Day 2023
Recommendation
-
US Army intelligence analyst pleads guilty to selling military secrets to China
-
Tiger Woods Apologizes for Handing Golfer Justin Thomas a Tampon During PGA Tournament
-
Kim Kardashian's SKIMS Presidents' Day Deals: Save Up to 50% On These 25 Top-Selling Styles
-
Kim Kardashian and North West Team Up With Mariah Carey and Daughter Monroe for Must-See TikTok
-
Biden to designate 1908 Springfield race riot site as national monument
-
The 12th Victim: The Truth About the Murder Spree That Inspired Every Onscreen Killer Couple
-
Euphoria's Sydney Sweeney Is Jessica Rabbit IRL With Sizzling Red Dress
-
Watch Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott's Son Aire Taste His First Ice Cream at Disneyland