Mexico criticizes sending busloads of migrants to Kamala Harris’ home

Mexican President Lopez Obrador has condemned the “inhumane” action attributed to the Republican governor of Texas. Left near the home of the Vice President of the United States, the emigrants had the coldest Christmas in the last 40 years. And the President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Tuesday (27/12) rated the fact that in the middle of Christmas, the Texas government sent a bus carrying immigrants to the official residence of US Vice President Kamala Harris. Texas authorities have not confirmed their involvement in the operation.

“It is a very inhumane situation because we are talking about a time of low temperatures. So, because of their xenophobia, xenophobia, because of their political interests, they dare to use the pain, the need of the people,” the Mexican president said during his morning press conference at the National Palace.

At dawn on the 25th of this month, three buses carrying immigrants arrived in Washington, one of which was in front of the official residence of the US Vice President. On that date, it was -10°C in the US capital.

According to volunteers who welcomed the migrants and provided blankets, there were about 130 people from Central and South America. Despite the sub-zero temperatures, most of them were lightly dressed – some in shorts and flip flops. They were taken under the church.

The buses were supposed to be rented by the Republican governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, who since last April has sent dozens of buses with immigrants to states ruled by Democrats as a form of protest against the immigration policy pursued by US President Joe Biden. This gesture was widely criticized by human rights organizations.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey have also moved immigrants to Democratic-run cities. The goal is to force the Biden administration to tighten immigration controls at the US-Mexico border.

Elliott storm

Obrador criticized the measure, especially due to the weather conditions in the United States, where it was recorded amidst Elliott’s winter storm, the coldest Christmas in the past 40 years, with temperatures reaching -50 degrees Celsius. The historic weather event swept the country from north to south and west to east and left at least 50 dead.

The Mexican president also said that during the North American trilateral summit in January, when Biden visits Mexico, he will take the opportunity to rethink the plan to implement programs in Central American countries to combat migration affecting the north of the continent.

“Now that President Biden is with us, we’re going to approach it in a structural way, proposing that there be a program of support for the poorest countries, with most of the needs so that people don’t have to migrate,” he said.

He noted that the social programs he has implemented in Central American countries, such as the “Semeando Vida” resettlement program and the “Youth Build the Future” employment program, have yielded results.

“We’ve already done assessments and we know that with two programs we’ve been able to keep people in their original places, that’s the rapprochement we’re making with the US government,” he stressed.

Last week, several conservative-governed US states, including Texas, were able in court to delay suspending Title 42, a federal health policy that allows for the speedy deportation of people who cross the border illegally without being able to claim asylum.

The regulation implemented by former Republican President Donald Trump’s government – but also used by Joe Biden – should have ceased enforcement on Dec. 22 by court order, but the Supreme Court has frozen the decision.

In recent days, thousands of people have crossed the border into Mexico and many have concentrated in El Paso, Texas, where they are forced to sleep outdoors, despite the freezing temperatures.

le (EFE, ots)

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