Benzinga - Thousand of migrants, mostly from Venezuela, have been streaming toward two massive gates that open into the U.S. as Washington lifts its pandemic-era asylum restrictions.
What Happened: Migrants rushed across the Mexico border as the U.S. lifted its Title 42 restrictions imposed in 2020 that allowed border officials to quickly return asylum seekers over the border to prevent the spread of COVID-19, reported Washington Times.
"We just want to pass, but this process is so slow," said Jesus Juarez of Venezuela, who had spent a month crossing multiple countries to reach that spot.
According to the report, among all the migrants, most were from Venezuela who were trying to flee President Nicolas Maduro‘s rule. A large number of Venezuelan migrants have been crossing the Rio Grande river, particularly in the Brownsville area of south Texas, using inflatable flotation devices, it added.
Angel Moran, who was the leader of the Mesa de Unidad Democratica organization in Venezuela – a group working against the ruling government of Maduro and his predecessor Hugo Chavez – said his situation was dire to escape immediately.
The 50-year-old Venezuelan told the publication, “I have never seen an international group here. And there are sick children breathing dust all day and all night. I feel helpless watching that and not being able to do anything at all to help. Who is supposed to help these children and their mothers?"
Why It Matters: Maduro has been labeled an autocrat and dictator. The U.N. estimates that more than 9,000 people have been victims of extrajudicial killings during Maduro’s tenure and that seven million Venezuelans have been forced to leave the country.
The U.N. Fact-Finding Mission also uncovered numerous due process violations, such as external political interference and the use of evidence obtained through torture.
Read Next: Title 42 Expiration: Market Repercussions And Stock Reactions To Major Immigration Policy Shift
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