Venezuelans and their dreams of U.S.
2022.12.20 06:32
Venezuelans and their dreams of U.S.
Budrigannews.com – Auto mechanic Julio Perez, 38, sold his vehicle and tools to make the risky journey from Venezuela to the United States.
He chose, however, to board a flight back to Venezuela, as many migrants had done in the two months since the United States changed its immigration policy.
On October 12, the current Title 42 policy, which has been used since the pandemic to send migrants from Central America and other regions back to Mexico and other nations without the opportunity to seek asylum, was extended to include Venezuelans.
Perez, who spent two of the four days he was trekking through the Darien jungle without eating, says he wants to try again by plane, but his resources are limited.
“Until further notice, I’m remaining here, to begin without any preparation,” he said.
According to a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the average daily number of Venezuelans crossing the southwest border without authorization has decreased from 1,100 the week prior to the announcement on October 12.
Reuters spoke with nine migrants who had crossed the Darien but were forced to return as a result of the policy change. Among them was 22-year-old Franklin Sandoval, who, like Perez, is from the west-central city of El Tocuyo in Venezuela.
Sandoval only emerged to learn about the Title 42 policy after trekking through waste-high rivers and muddy pathways.
Sandoval stated, “After everything I experienced there in the jungle, to be told this news was really, really awful.”
Sandoval also made the decision to cut his losses and return to Venezuela via Panama after receiving the news of the U.S. policy change, which has been criticized by human rights groups.
He hasn’t been able to find work since returning, and he says he has anxiety attacks when he thinks about the trip.
He stated, “You are traumatized when you leave the Darien. You don’t laugh or cry.”
Rights group Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) claims that the move has made an already-existing humanitarian crisis worse, citing the lack of shelters and families traveling with children.
A Mexican official told Reuters that the comprehensive agreement they made with the United States on Venezuelan asylum seekers had “good results” because it gave thousands of people humanitarian air access in addition to the expulsion clause.
Unless legal challenges delay that deadline, the Title 42 policy is now scheduled to end on December 21, further confusing migrants.
Perez, who claims that he will never attempt to cross the Darien again, is still haunted by his journey of broken dreams, just like Sandoval.
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Perez said, “I don’t sleep well.” When I wake up, I keep thinking about what we went through there.”
