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Migrants at the US-Mexico Border Face the Impact of Trump’s Early Days in Office | US News


For nearly a year, Ericka Mendoza has been residing in a dormitory room within a migrant shelter located at the Mexico-US border, specifically in the town of Piedras Negras.

She shares the lower bunk of a bed with her ten-year-old son, Ronal.

Additionally, there are often up to 15 other women and children in the same room.

Ericka has spent a year living inside this dormitory in a migrant shelter
Image:
Ericka has spent a year living inside this dormitory in a migrant shelter

Together, they dream of a brighter future in the United States.

After a lengthy wait, Ericka finally received notification for her interview with US immigration officials scheduled for February 6, just a little over two weeks away.

“I was overjoyed,” she recalls.

However, 13 minutes after Donald Trump was inaugurated again, Ericka received an email informing her that her appointment had been cancelled.

Donald Trump had effectively shut down the southern border, labeling it a “national emergency” and halting all asylum applications.

“It’s unjust, it’s incredibly unjust,” she laments, wiping away tears while pressing her gloved hands to her cheeks.

“In an instant, the opportunity was taken away from us,” she continues. “I’m not sure how to feel anymore. All I know is I intend to leave, and I’m determined to do it the right way, the correct way.”

Accompanied by her other son, 12-year-old Christian, they fled persecution in Guatemala with high hopes for a new life in the United States.

During their journey, Christian nearly experienced hypothermia, and while traveling through Mexico, riding atop a dangerous freight train known as “the beast,” he nearly fell to his death.

Train of death: Riding The Beast

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While waiting for her asylum case to be processed, Ericka has been cleaning machinery at a meat market in Piedras Negras.

Many migrants find themselves in this border community as the last stop on their way to the United States.

From the town center, Texas is less than half a mile away and visible.

What once felt like a reachable American dream now seems distant.

“I’m lost,” she admits. “I pray that everything can be resolved. I wanted to pursue this legally and hope the new president considers our journey; it wasn’t easy getting here. I pray that God touches his heart and makes the impossible achievable.”

Some immigration charities express concern that individuals may now resort to illegal crossings into the United States, taking dangerous routes through the Rio Grande River.

The hardline approach of the new administration is already evident on the US side of the border, where vegetation is being cleared to make way for more razor wire.

Behind one stretch of the fence, numerous buoys are stacked in rows.

Buoys soon to be used to create a barrier across the Rio Grande River
Image:
Buoys soon to be used to create a barrier across the Rio Grande River

The Rio Grande River, which some fear may see an increase in attempts to enter the US
Image:
The Rio Grande River, which some fear may see an increase in attempts to enter the US

A barrier will soon be erected in the river to deter potential immigrants from crossing there.

This is the significant immigration crackdown promised by President Trump. But what will be the actual effects?

Time will reveal the answers.



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