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world news Diabierna 13 augustus 2021

Migrants find themselves stranded abroad by new U.S policy

(AP) — Karla Leiva sat ic-related ban. Grande Valley.
on the patio of a migrant
shelter near the Guatema- Leiva said she was not asked “If in fact they are turned
la-Mexico border Thurs- by U.S. or Mexican authori- around and placed in the
day with her 5-year-old ties if she feared returning to northern part of Mexico, it is
daughter Zoe. They had her country. too facile, too easy for them
been in three countries in to return and try an illegal en-
the past 24 hours, none of At the Mexico-Guatemala try again,” he said. “And so in
them their own. border, they were told to response to that recidivism,
walk into Guatemala and to deter and prevent that re-
Leiva, 32, from Yoro in north- look for the shelter. No one cidivism from occurring, we
central Honduras, had ar- registered their entrance into are expelling them further
rived at the shelter in El Ce- Guatemala. They were not into the interior of Mexico,
ibo on Wednesday. She and asked for evidence of a nega- which is far more difficult to
her daughter had started that tive COVID-19 test required try again.”
day 1,000 miles to the north of all foreigners entering
in Brownsville, Texas, where Guatemala. He said the Biden adminis-
they were put on a plane by tration has made changes to
the U.S. government with “No one told me anything. border policy, including al-
dozens of others mothers They never heard my case lowing unaccompanied chil- in Mexican border cities for didn’t manage to cross.
and children without know- and why I went to the Unit- dren into the country, but hearings in U.S. immigration
ing where it was going. ed States,” Leiva said. “I said people without a legal court. U.S. authorities took Leiva
couldn’t tell them that they claim to residency would be and Zoe to Brownsville. Two
The rumor running among were extorting me and that removed under the law. Biden also scrapped agree- days later they were put on
the migrants was that they they threatened to kidnap my ments with Central Ameri- the plane. On Thursday, they
were being sent to Califor- little daughter and take my On Wednesday, five United can nations for asylum-seek- both still wore the identify-
nia. Eventually, while in the adolescent sons to join the Nations agencies, including ers from third countries to ing wrist bands U.S. authori-
air, they were told the plane gang. That’s why I left the the High Commissioner for be sent there to have their ties gave them.
would land in Villahermosa, country.” Refugees, expressed concern claims heard, denying any
in southern Mexico’s Tabas- over the U.S. policy and re- prospect of settling in the The orange-painted hilltop
co state. There, Mexican au- Responding to reporters’ peated their call for the Biden United States. shelter here has been filling
thorities hustled them onto questions on Thursday, U.S. administration to lift the so- this week as more migrants
buses that drove them the Homeland Security Secretary called Title 42 restriction on The Biden administration are dropped at the border
three-plus hours to the Gua- Alejandro Mayorkas made asylum. has said it wants to focus on daily. There’s little else in this
temalan border. his department’s first public addressing the root causes remote border outpost sur-
acknowledgement that it is Mayorkas said the people be- of migration from Central rounded by jungle.
Leiva and her daughter were expelling Central Americans ing expelled to the interior of America. Vice President Ka-
swept up in the latest U.S. on the flights to southern Mexico have been expelled mala Harris has led that ef- Leiva was still trying to un-
government effort to deter Mexico. The Mexican gov- under Title 42. fort, visiting Mexico and derstand what had happened
migrants and asylum-seekers ernment has been publicly Guatemala to discuss how and what would come next.
from arriving at its south- silent. For years, the U.S. govern- the U.S. can help while en- She said she could not return
ern border. While still de- ment has intermittently couraging people not to to Honduras and she fretted
livering some migrants on Mayorkas said the U.S. was flown deported Mexican mi- come. But those are at best over the $3,000 she had paid
flights directly to their Cen- coordinating with the Mexi- grants back to the interior to medium-term solutions, the smuggler.
tral American nations, the can government on flights make it more difficult to try while at the U.S. border, the
U.S. government has started that include Central Ameri- to cross the border again, but number of encounters be- “No one signed any depor-
supplementing with flights to cans and ensuring that they this appears to be the first tween U.S. authorities and tation. I didn’t sign,” she
southern Mexican cities like comply with international time it has flown Central migrants keeps rising. said. “They tricked us. They
Villahermosa and Tapachula, law to provide humanitarian Americans to Mexico instead didn’t even give me a paper.”
where Mexican authorities protection when warranted. of their home countries. Leiva had left Yoro on July 27 The bracelets are the only ev-
carry them the rest of the way He didn’t elaborate. with her daughter and three idence they were ever briefly
to Guatemala’s border, even The move comes after Presi- older sons. Twelve days later, in the U.S.
if they’re not Guatemalan. The flights to the interior of dent Joe Biden jettisoned she and her daughter crossed
Mexico are part of efforts to many of his predecessor’s the Rio Grande on a raft into Leiva’s only choice, she said,
Since last year, the U.S. has discourage returns by mi- hardline immigration poli- Texas with a smuggler and was to try making her way
not been allowing migrants grants apprehended along the cies, describing them as cruel were quickly apprehended. north again. Her two sons
to solicit asylum at the south- Southwest border, Mayorkas or unwise, including one that She said her sons were sup- and older daughter were
ern border under a pandem- said during a visit to the Rio made asylum-seekers wait posed to have followed, but waiting in northern Mexico.

Greek wildfires a major ecological catastrophe, PM says

(AP) — Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mit- “We managed to save lives, but we lost forests and season during which fires break out is over, he said.
sotakis on Thursday described the devastat- property,” Mitsotakis said, describing the wildfires
ing wildfires that burned across the country as “the greatest ecological catastrophe of the last “The climate crisis — I’d like to use this term, and
for more than a week as the greatest ecologi- few decades.” not climate change — the climate crisis is here, and
cal catastrophe Greece had seen in decades. it shows us everything needs to change” he said,
Speaking during a news conference in Athens, his adding he was ready to make the “bold changes”
The fires broke out as the country roasted during first since the fires broke out, Mitsotakis said au- needed.
the most intense and protracted heat wave experi- thorities had faced around 100 active blazes each
enced since 1987. Hundreds of wildfires erupted day. By Thursday, the situation was much im- “This is a common crisis for all of us,” he said.
across the country, stretching Greece’s firefighting proved, with most large wildfires on the wane.
capabilities to the limit and leading the govern- Several Mediterranean countries have suffered in-
ment to appeal for help from abroad. Hundreds of But the prime minister warned the danger of more tense heat and quickly spreading wildfires in recent
firefighters, along with planes, helicopters and ve- blazes was still present. weeks, including Turkey, where at least eight peo-
hicles, arrived from 24 European and Middle East- ple have died, and Italy. In Algeria, wildfires in the
ern countries to assist. “We are in the middle of August and it’s clear we mountains have killed at least 69 people.
will have difficult days ahead of us” until the main