Tears at the border as Venezuelan immigrants deported

A large group of Venezuelan immigrants looked sad, teary-eyed and panicked at the Mexican border in Tijuana on Thursday – hours later. President Biden announced that they will be deported from the United States.

The migrants were photographed at the El Chaparral port of entry in Tijuana, shortly after Mexico agreed to accept Venezuelans who are now being expelled by the Biden administration.

Many women seem to demand attention when they hold their belongings, including papers and water bottles. Many young men were also seen raising their arms.

“We are in despair, we have suffered a lot,” Yair Andrade, who arrived in Tijuana via Central America with his wife and children, told Reuters.

We still don’t know how to get into the program. We can’t go back to Venezuela, we have nothing there now.”

The Biden administration has radically changed its “catch and release” policy, which allowed tens of thousands of immigrant asylum seekers to remain in the United States during protracted legal proceedings, and reinstated the Trump-era rule, Title 42, to expel Venezuelan immigrants who arrived at Mexico’s southern border under Agreement reached on Wednesday.

As part of the deal, the US will give 24,000 Venezuelans humanitarian access through air travel – if they have a US sponsor. No details were provided as to what Mexico would gain from this arrangement.

Republicans immediately seized on the timing of the policy change – which comes weeks before the midterms – and called it a stunt.

Republican National Committee spokesman Will O’Grady told Washington Examiner.

“There is no quick fix to this problem – but the new leadership will be a strong start,” he added.

The United States does not have diplomatic relations with Venezuela, and Mexico previously refused to accept Venezuelans from the United States because their home country does not accept their return. The country has now said it will allow in migrants “temporarily” to help ease problems at the southern border.

The United States has seen an influx of immigrants due to political turmoil and economic instability under the leadership of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro that has rocked the South American country.

The new scheme is off to a rough start. When the Border Patrol in El Paso, Texas, tried to carry out Biden’s order, The Mexican authorities refused to accept them, Texas Republican Representative Tony Gonzalez told the newspaper.

“The border patrol worked with the Mexican authorities to send about 100 people there and Mexico sent them back directly,” Gonzalez said of the incident, which occurred Wednesday night in Texas.

He added, “They basically said we don’t have the logistics nor the infrastructure to deal with these people… It was a huge failure.”

And on Thursday, Venezuelan migrants stranded at the Mexico border worried they might never reach the United States.

Two US officials told Reuters that up to 1,000 Venezuelans could be deported daily to Mexico under the new agreement.

They said about 300 Venezuelans were expelled Wednesday after the deal was announced, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

with wire