Americas
A fresh wave of migrants is crossing the southern border
By
The Washington Post September 22, 2023
Michael Robinson Chávez and Arelis R. Hernández
The Washington Post September 22, 2023
A Venezuelan migrant tosses a backpack over the razor wire near the U.S.-Mexico border on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, in Ciudad Juárez. (Michael Robinson Chávez/Washington Post)
The Biden administration is contending with a recent influx of migrants at the Texas-Mexico border that has stretched holding capacity to the brink.
In recent days, thousands of migrants riding freight trains have crossed the U.S. border. One Mexican rail operator briefly suspended train service because of people riding atop freight cars and inside empty hoppers. More than a half dozen have been killed or injured.
The Biden administration has urged migrants to apply for asylum. But migrants told The Washington Post the asylum application process was lengthy. By entering the United States they risk being immediately removed or criminally charged. But staying in Mexico, they said, is untenable.
The Biden administration recently announced it would offer temporary legal status to more than 470,000 Venezuelan migrants in the United States. More than 500,000 Venezuelans have been taken into custody at the border since 2021. That is the largest Venezuelan migration wave in U.S. history.
Migrants line up to be processed by U.S. Border Patrol agents Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023, along the border at Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. (Michael Robinson Chávez/Washington Post)
A member of the U.S. National Guard tells a Venezuelan migrant to turn back Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, as he tries to negotiate razor wire along the border in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. (Michael Robinson Chávez/Washington Post)
Venezuelan migrants guide a child through the razor wire near the U.S.-Mexico border in Ciudad Juárez on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. (Michael Robinson Chávez/Washington Post)
Hundreds of migrants ride atop a freight train arriving in Ciudad Juárez from the city of Chihuahua to the south. The rail line is a heavily traveled route for migrants coming from the south. (Michael Robinson Chávez/Washington Post)
Illegal crossings along the southern border have soared to their highest levels since May.