A large group of Mexicans took to the streets this week in Mexico City to demand the immediate deportation of Cuban and Central American migrants who are part of the caravan moving from Tapachula with the aim of regularizing their immigration status and accessing job opportunities.
In a video circulating on social media, shouts can be heard such as “Get out of here, this is not your country!” and “Deport them! Deport them!”.
The protesters assert that the presence of migrants represents a problem of "social security" and a burden on local communities already affected by poverty.
"This country belongs to every Mexican who lives here. You have no right to be here. You don't. Out of the country. It's not a matter of discrimination; it's a matter of social security," shouted one of the protesters.
Others were more aggressive: “We don't need more people. Go back to your countries. Or jump the fence. Let's see what happens if the president on the other side gets ahold of you (referring to Donald Trump).”
Meanwhile, the National Institute of Migration (INM) and the National Guard intensified the raids in Pijijiapan, in the state of Chiapas, where migrants were detained violently, according to reports from organizations such as Pueblos Sin Fronteras.
“Migrants were treated worse than criminals”, stated the collective director, Irineo Mujica, who described the operations as a “manhunt.” In some instances, women and children were cornered, and there were reports of confrontations in which migrants threw stones to evade detentions.
The caravan, made up of more than 1,000 people from Cuba, Venezuela, Honduras, Haiti and other countries, departed from Tapachula on October 1 with the aim of reaching Mexico City and urging authorities to obtain residence or asylum permits.
Many of the migrants have stated that they do not seek to reach the United States, but rather to remain legally in Mexico.
Corruption is being reported in the offices of the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance (Comar) and the INM, along with delays and arbitrary rejections of their applications.
The reaction from the Mexican population has been alarming for migrants.
However, internet users have recalled how Mexicans complain that their relatives are being pursued in the United States and deported.
So they get offended when Americans do the same to them, expressed a user in the comments on the video post on Instagram.
"We don’t want anyone to give us anything; we just want to be allowed to move forward as human beings," said a Cuban migrant before starting the march from Tapachula.
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