US shift on Venezuelan migrants fuels anxiety in Mexico
The Biden administration's policy shift on Venezuelan migrants may pose an enormous challenge to overstretched Mexican shelters
TIJUANA, Mexico (AP) — Jose Maria Garcia Lara got a call asking if his shelter had room for a dozen Venezuelan migrants who were among the first expelled to Mexico under an expanded U.S. policy that denies rights to seek asylum.
“We can't take anyone, no one will fit,” he answered, standing amid rows of tents in what looks like a small warehouse. He had 260 migrants on the floor, about 80 over capacity and the most since opening the shelter in 2012.
The phone call Thursday illustrates how the Biden administration's expansion of asylum restrictions to Venezuelans poses a potentially enormous challenge to already overstretched Mexican shelters.
The U.S. agreed to let up to 24,000 Venezuelans apply online to fly directly to the U.S. for temporary stays but said it will also start returning to Mexico any who cross illegally — a number that reached 33,000 in September alone.
