Mexico – Church asks Mexico to speed up permits for migrants stranded in southern Mexico
The Catholic Church on Wednesday called on the Mexican government to speed up permits for the thousands of migrants stranded on Mexico's southern border, from where they are seeking to reach the United States.
Martín Moreno, the parish priest of the San Agustín parish, told the media that the Church in Tapachula, on the border between Mexico and Guatemala, sees in the migrants "much suffering" of people who cannot eat or sleep, as well as the uncertainty and marginalisation they experience.
He lamented the increase in the number of women and children arriving at Mexico's southern border, where previously almost all migrants were adult men. "This hurts us more than the men, which is why it has been implemented that women and children are accepted in the shelters because they are more vulnerable. It hurts, but we try to do more for them," she said.
Venezuelan migrant Deoniras Ortega stressed that all migrants want to leave Tapachula, but the authorities delay the procedures to move forward. "The main complaint of us is that there is no money; you have to sleep in the parks in the street while waiting for your papers because if you pay rent, you live comfortably or you don't eat", he said.
In this context, Father Moreno stressed that the stagnation of undocumented people is affected by a lack of humanitarian aid. "The migratory phenomenon, like many things nowadays, is a complex problem, and from a humanitarian point of view, it is a migratory crisis. Migration is produced by various problems and processes where governments do not know how to manage the good for all", explained the vicar general of the diocese of Tapachula.
He envisaged migrants would leave in a caravan again due to the lack of opportunities and the authorities' inaction. "There will come a time when there will be so many of them that the caravans will be reactivated, that is part of the problem, and there is little that can be done", he commented. Nevertheless, the Church anticipates more migrants in the border city and hopes to be able to support them and continue to motivate the Mexican community to continue providing support.
The region is experiencing a record migration flow, with 2.76 million undocumented migrants apprehended at the US-Mexico border in the fiscal year 2022. Likewise, in 2022, according to Comar data, Mexico received 118,478 requests from migrants seeking asylum, the second highest figure after 2021, with 131,448 cases.
Image and information from https://www.religiondigital.org
Source: jseuitas.lat
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