Page 12 - AT

A12 WORLD NEWS
Monday 18 February 2019

Mexico: Makeshift migrant shelter near border to close soon

By JUAN ANTONIO GUZ- casually on riot shields, as give his last name for fear
MAN CALDERON migrants milled about on of possible reprisals in Mexi-
Associated Press the other side of the yellow co or back home. He add-
PIEDRAS NEGRAS, Mexi- chain-link fence. ed that officials had torn
co (AP) — An improvised A helicopter buzzed over- up the credentials of some
shelter where hundreds of head, some boarded bus- people and that was the
Central American migrants es to be transported else- cause of the Wednesday’s
have been confined in where. disturbance.
the border city of Piedras On Wednesday police and A field officer with the
Negras, across from Eagle migrants scuffled briefly Texas-based refugee ad-
Pass, Texas, will close next at the building, which was vocacy group Raices has
week, authorities said Sat- ringed by officers and sol- spoken of “prison”-like con-
urday. diers, because they were ditions inside.
Coahuila State Public Safe- not being allowed out- The migrants have wanted
ty Secretary Jose Luis Pliego side. Video of the images to appear at the U.S. bor-
said the shelter in an aban- Honduran Delia Romero, 24, sits with her children in their sleeping showed some migrants der to apply for asylum,
doned factory has served area at a sheltered in Piedras Negras, Mexico, Tuesday, Feb. 5, tearing down a temporary but only about a dozen per
its purpose, which was to 2019. awning and trying to wres- day have been allowed to
provide attention to the Associated Press tle metal barricades from do so.
migrants and process their Pliego said about 1,500 the advances in provid- police. Pliego said he was aware
migratory status. now have papers that let ing documents” and the Some migrants still at the of another possible migrant
It is expected to close them move freely in Mexi- fact that many who were shelter said they were not caravan from Honduras,
Wednesday, and authori- co. Some 400 have already ill when they arrived have being allowed to come but it was not clear where
ties have begun taking been taken to other states, been or are being treated, and go despite holding the it would head once in Mex-
some migrants to neighbor- and about 70 were deport- Pliego said, “the purpose of permits, and they hope to ico.
ing states such as Nuevo ed to their home countries the shelter has practically leave as soon as possible Some previous caravans
Leon and Tamaulipas to for purportedly disturbing concluded.” for fear of possible depor- have made for the border
be incorporated into the the peace. Soldiers in camouflage tation. city of Tijuana, where there
workforce while others may “Given the conditions we and body armor formed a “I don’t feel safe here,” is a long waiting list for asy-
seek other options to try to have right now, the ad- perimeter outside the fa- said Donaldo, a Honduran lum seekers to be allowed
cross into the United States. vances in registrations, cility on Saturday, resting migrant who declined to to present their case.q

Marco Rubio warns Venezuelan soldiers to let aid enter

Associated Press as he visited Cucuta and congressional leader Juan
CUCUTA, Colombia (AP) held a news conference Guaido, who is recognized
— U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio in sight of a border bridge the U.S. and dozens of oth-
on Sunday visited a border that has been flooded in er countries as Venezuela’s
staging point for U.S. aid to recent months by Venezu- legitimate president.
Venezuela and warned sol- elans people fleeing hard- Maduro Is using troops to
diers loyal to socialist Presi- ship in their own country. block aid from entering,
dent Nicolas Maduro that The U.S. has used military saying it’s unnecessary and
would commit a “crime and civilian aircraft to fly in part of coup to overthrow
against humanity” if they food and personal care aid him. Rubio warned those
block entry of the pack- — an effort that is meant to soldiers that blocking aid
ages that are being chan- undermine Maduro and would be an international
neled through Maduro’s dramatize his government’s “crime against humanity.”
rivals. A Venezuelan man carrying a pack of eggs also clutches a inability to overcome short- He said in Spanish that sol-
An enthusiastic throng of flyer, given to him by Venezuelan politicians in exile, inviting ages of food and medi- diers who block aid from
Venezuelan migrants, some people to come out to the streets on Feb. 23 to support a cine. The aid is supposed to entering would spend “the
chanting “Rubio! Liberty!” planned aid delivery to Venezuela, in La Parada, on the border be distributed in Venezuela rest of their lives hiding from
met the Florida Republican with Venezuela, Colombia, Sunday, Feb. 17, 2019. on Feb. 23 by supporters of justice.” q
Associated Press