The literal words of United States Secretary of Homeland Security Alexandro Mayorkas on the occasion of the expiration of Title 42, the Trump era administrative regulation that expelled 2.6 million immigrants under the pretext of Covid-19. On Thursday, May 11, that measure expired, but the uncomfortable outlook for thousands of people who hope to enter the United States and make a better life won’t end there.
To contain the impending crisis, some 24,000 members of the US military have been sent to the border with Mexico and a state of emergency has been declared in all border cities of that country. Mayorkas himself has said in an uncharacteristic euphemism that “tough weeks” are ahead.
Meanwhile, the lives, dreams and wishes of nearly 600,000 migrants of various nationalities stranded in our country.
The worst thing about this terrible tragedy that just started is that it already has a long history and it’s not that this is surprising Mexico and America.
On their part, human rights and civil society organizations serving migrants are overwhelmed and do not have budgets.
But I insist that this should not surprise anyone, and it is sad to see the indifference and lack of foresight on both sides in the face of the already announced drama, for which our neighbor to the north is largely responsible.
Furthermore, the migrant crisis we are facing and which will undoubtedly worsen is not a phenomenon exclusive to our region, it is happening globally and is the result of decades, and in some cases centuries, of exploitation based economic system. and the unequal distribution of economic and natural resources of some countries for the benefit of others.
The West loves bombastic rhetoric imbued with a genuinely humanistic tone and sensibility, but in practice, the design of its economic and migration policies has only achieved alienation, increased inequality, and the generation of farming broth that is already about to overflow. It seems and it seems to me that it is unheard of that the so-called leaders of this hemisphere of the planet do not have the least vision of things to come.
We have a serious problem with regard to Mexico. As I mentioned a few lines above, there are close to 600,000 immigrants stranded in our country, and with the enactment of Title 8, which replaces 42, we’ll be receiving over 60,000 new immigrants per month.
Mexico, as always, is going to bear the brunt of this crisis and it seems to me that today, more than ever, our country is in a position to demand that the United States do its part in this terrible humanitarian tragedy. The lives of thousands and perhaps millions of people in the coming months and years will depend on the political will of both countries.
It goes beyond me and it pains me deeply to see that this humanity that Western discourse proudly proclaims is nothing more than words for the wind. Unfortunate.
