CNN: 22,000 migrants in Mexico are in shelters waiting to cross the border into the US
Around 22,000 migrants in Mexico have been placed in temporary shelters waiting to cross the border into the US, CNN reported.
“Twenty-two thousand migrants in Mexican shelters are waiting to cross into the US,” according to the publication.
At the same time, authorities in the US state of Texas, bordering Mexico, are building a fence near the city of El Paso to limit border crossings. According to the TV channel, they have managed to build about 2 miles (3.2 kilometres) of fences.
It is noted that El Paso itself has a significant number of refugees who have entered US territory. Migrants are sleeping on the pavement in the cold weather as local churches and shelters are overcrowded.
Meanwhile, the number of asylum applications pending in the US has reached a record 1.6 million, showing a seven-fold increase in the 10 years since 2012, according to the channel.
The flow of refugees to the US is expected to increase after a legal provision allowing the immediate deportation of irregular migrants in the interests of fighting the coronavirus was lifted. The administration of President Joe Biden has opposed its extension. The legal provision, introduced under Donald Trump’s presidency, was due to expire on Wednesday 21 December, but Chief Justice John Roberts extended it while a petition from Arizona state to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was pending.