Cuban migrants stranded in Tapachula, Mexico, waiting to resolve an immigration procedure, reported abuses in the collection of rent by the city's landlords.
Cubans report that they are charged 150 dollars per person and in a room they put up to 10 or more people crammed together, reported the local media from the state of Chiapas South Journal.
In addition, landlords, who charge a minimum of $120, ask for monthly payment in advance even though many Cubans will stay in the city for less time.
A Cuban migrant named Mari Carmen complained about what she considers abuse from the people who rent their houses in Tapachula, but they have no choice, since in her case she is traveling with her husband and two daughters.
“The expense we make on rent is too much and suddenly we find ourselves in the dilemma of paying rent or buying food, since here it is difficult for them to get work because they do not have documents,” he said.
Another Cuban, Alexander Camacho, assures that the houses do not have the necessary conditions to live comfortably, they are small and the only thing they have are beds so that they can lie down.
He also commented that many Cubans are sleeping on the streets of Tapachula because they do not have the money to pay the high rent prices.
“People are taking advantage of the need that we Cubans have and are charging us very dearly, it seems that all the people of Tapachula agree to charge us the same,” he explained.
Odalys Gutiérrez, a third Cuban migrant interviewed by South Journal, states that they are tired of people mistreating them and overcharging them for room rent.
Gutiérrez assures that there are families of up to 10 Cubans in a house and they charge them around 150 to 120 dollars per person.
“I think there should be an authority that regulates the price of house rents in Tapachula for migrants, because people charge too much and do not provide services adequately, since there is always a lack of water and internet,” he concluded.
Previously, Cuban migrants have demanded fair treatment in this border city with Guatemala, where they claim that they want to charge them double for their basic needs: rent, bus tickets and food.
Last Friday it was learned that after several days of crisis and without receiving a response to their complaints, mThousands of Cubans stranded in Tapachula announced a caravan to leave for the southern border of the United States.
The Cubans announced that they will leave this Monday morning in a caravan of six thousand people, with Venezuelans, Haitians and Hondurans who will join the group.
The decision was made after the authorities of the National Immigration Institute of Mexico (INM) refused to respond to their request to issue a document that allows them to continue their trip to the US border, in the north of the country.
Likewise, after Mexico suspended flight permits to the border for Cubans with appointments through CBP One, an application through which they obtained interviews to request political asylum.
In Tapachula there are approximately 20 thousand Cubans stranded in the midst of a reactivation of the migration crisis on the Caribbean island.
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