- Title: Central American migrants in Mexico weigh up American dream under Trump
- Date: 25th January 2017
- Summary: IXTEPEC, OAXACA, MEXICO (JANUARY 25, 2017) (REUTERS) PAINTED WALL AT MIGRANT SHELTER VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS AT SHELTER CHILDREN AND ELDERLY WOMAN AT SHELTER MAP OF MEXICO THAT SAYS "MIGRATORY ROUTE" IN SPANISH (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) SALVADORAN MIGRANT, MARISOL ZAMORA, SAYING: "He can say what he says, do what he will, the wall is going to be built and (migrants) will continue to cross, a bunch. No matter what he says, he isn't strong, the people are stronger." MORE OF MIGRANTS AT SHELTER MIGRANT SLEEPING ON FLOOR AT SHELTER VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS AT SHELTER (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) GUATEMALAN MIGRANT, JOSE MARIA CONTRERAS, SAYING: "There is no future in Canada or the United States. They all have the same agreement, to exploit people. It's not worth (crossing), it's better to stay here in a neighbouring country." VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS AT SHELTER MORE OF CHILDREN AND ELDERLY WOMAN AT SHELTER MORE OF MIGRANTS AT SHELTER (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) (SOUNDBITE) WORKER AT MIGRANT SHELTER, ALBERTO DONIS, SAYING: "If no other alternative is given at your home country, as far as employment and the ability to grow in your homeland, than people will keep on seeking out better conditions and they'll continue to look to the United States." MORE OF MIGRANTS AT SHELTER VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING ALONG TRACKS NEAR SHELTER
- Embargoed: 8th February 2017 23:37
- Keywords: Central American migrants Mexico border President Donald Trump USA
- Location: IXTEPEC, OAXACA, MEXICO
- City: IXTEPEC, OAXACA, MEXICO
- Country: Mexico
- Topics: Asylum/Immigration/Refugees,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA00160KY347
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Central American migrants in Mexico seeking passage to the United States say they are weighing their options after President Donald Trump ordered a wall be built along the United States' border with Mexico.
Trump signed two executive orders on Wednesday (January 25), directing the construction of a wall along the roughly 2,000-mile (3,200-kilometre) U.S.-Mexico border and also moving to peel away federal grant money from "sanctuary" states and cities that harbour illegal immigrants and beefing up the force of immigration agents.
Countless numbers of migrants from Central America cross overland through Mexico towards the United States in search of a better life.
Marisol Zamora travelled from Guatemala to this border shelter in Ixtepec in the southern state of Oaxaca. She believes Trump's wall won't make a difference.
"He can say what he says, do what he will, the wall is going to be built and (migrants) will continue to cross, a bunch. No matter what he says, he isn't strong, the people are stronger," she said.
During fiscal year 2016, the United States detained nearly 410,000 people along the southwest border with Mexico, up about a quarter from the previous year. The vast majority hail from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.
Guatemalan migrant Jose Maria Contreras told Reuters that given the difficulty of crossing the United States border that perhaps it is better to stay in Mexico.
"There is no future in Canada or the United States. They all have the same agreement, to exploit people. It's not worth (crossing), it's better to stay here in a neighbouring country," he said.
Alberto Donis works at the Ixtepec migrant shelter that is along a popular migration route in the southern state of Oaxaca.
He says Central Americans will continue to migrate north so long as they don't have opportunities in their home countries.
"If no other alternative is given at your home country, as far as employment and the ability to grow in your homeland, than people will keep on seeking out better conditions and they'll continue to look to the United States," he said.
Trump has reported that his directive to curb undocumented migration would also end the practice known by critics as "catch and release" in which authorities apprehend illegal immigrants on U.S. territory but do not immediately detain or deport them.
The directives also include hiring 5,000 more U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents used to apprehend people seeking to slip across the border and tripling the number of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents used to arrest and deport immigrants living in the United States illegally.
They also create more detention space for illegal immigrants along the southern border to make it easier and cheaper to detain and deport them. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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