1 00:00:05,320 --> 00:00:09,680 Speaker 1: From Futuro Media and PRX. It's Latino USA. I'm Madriaojosa 2 00:00:10,039 --> 00:00:14,040 Speaker 1: today part one of our award winning series from twenty 3 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:19,439 Speaker 1: twenty called The Moving Border. Dear listener, we're rebroadcasting part 4 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:23,400 Speaker 1: one of The Moving Border, our award winning series exploring 5 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:28,080 Speaker 1: asylum and the somewhat secretive partnership between Mexico and the 6 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:32,240 Speaker 1: United States. This story originally aired in May of twenty twenty, 7 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:35,880 Speaker 1: when order policies were being made under the Trump administration. 8 00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:40,080 Speaker 1: Things have changed since then, but how much have they? 9 00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:43,240 Speaker 1: We're going to be exploring that question later this year 10 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:46,720 Speaker 1: as we continue the Moving Border series and delve into 11 00:00:46,760 --> 00:00:50,640 Speaker 1: the border policy now under the Biden administration. In fact, 12 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:54,200 Speaker 1: this story was the impetus to create my new investigative unit. 13 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:59,400 Speaker 1: It's called Fudurodajosa, But for now from twenty twenty, here's 14 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:08,160 Speaker 1: the award waiting first part of The Moving Border. It 15 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:11,760 Speaker 1: all began with a four letter word wall. 16 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:14,920 Speaker 2: I would build a great wall, and nobody builds walls 17 00:01:14,959 --> 00:01:15,360 Speaker 2: better than me. 18 00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:15,880 Speaker 3: Believe me. 19 00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:19,279 Speaker 1: I will build a great, great wall. 20 00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:22,200 Speaker 2: On our southern border, and I will have Mexico pay 21 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:23,160 Speaker 2: for that wall. 22 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:24,760 Speaker 4: Mark my works. 23 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:28,319 Speaker 1: As Donald Trump's campaign for president heated up four years ago. 24 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:32,199 Speaker 1: It was the word that launched a thousand rallies. 25 00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:35,320 Speaker 2: Because I've been hearing a lot of things. Oh, the 26 00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:37,200 Speaker 2: wall didn't make that much of a difference. You know 27 00:01:37,240 --> 00:01:40,120 Speaker 2: where it made a big difference. Right here in El Paso. 28 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:43,160 Speaker 2: We're gonna build the wall. We have no choice, we 29 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:48,000 Speaker 2: have no choice. Build that wall, Build that wall, Build 30 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:50,080 Speaker 2: that wall, Build that wall. 31 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:53,840 Speaker 1: Build Now, most immigration experts would tell you it was 32 00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:56,800 Speaker 1: a fantasy. It was too expensive, not to mention that 33 00:01:56,800 --> 00:01:59,720 Speaker 1: it wouldn't solve the problem of people crossing the border 34 00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:03,080 Speaker 1: without papers, let alone do anything to address the growing 35 00:02:03,200 --> 00:02:07,160 Speaker 1: number of asylum seekers legally asking for refuge at ports 36 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:12,120 Speaker 1: of entry. But there was a simplicity to it, a catchiness. 37 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:16,560 Speaker 1: Build the wall. It reduced a complicated issue to a 38 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:19,840 Speaker 1: small idea, and it very well may have catapulted a 39 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:27,680 Speaker 1: reality television star into the nation's highest office. The phrase, 40 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:31,120 Speaker 1: of course, wasn't just build the wall. It was also 41 00:02:31,639 --> 00:02:35,760 Speaker 1: make Mexico pay for it. Now. In Mexico, this was 42 00:02:35,840 --> 00:02:39,399 Speaker 1: widely ridiculed. It was the material of jokes and can 43 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:50,359 Speaker 1: you believe this guy? Dinner conversations devastation. Shortly after Trump's 44 00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:54,680 Speaker 1: inauguration in twenty seventeen, then President Enrique Bagnaneto went on 45 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:57,160 Speaker 1: TV to make Mexico's position clear. 46 00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:02,920 Speaker 5: Mexico nokrelos more luvicho una yotravis. 47 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:08,919 Speaker 1: Mexico no pagaran. Mexico doesn't believe in walls. 48 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:09,640 Speaker 6: He said. 49 00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:13,600 Speaker 1: I've said it again and again. Mexico isn't going to 50 00:03:13,720 --> 00:03:19,040 Speaker 1: pay for any wall. Now it's near the end of 51 00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:23,360 Speaker 1: the first term of the Trump presidency and something perhaps 52 00:03:23,440 --> 00:03:29,720 Speaker 1: unexpected has happened. Mexico has a new president, a leftist 53 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:33,920 Speaker 1: and a populist. He, like his predecessor, scoffed at the 54 00:03:33,960 --> 00:03:37,320 Speaker 1: idea of paying for the wall. Yet to the surprise 55 00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:41,600 Speaker 1: of many, he's become a willing partner in Trump's mission 56 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:48,160 Speaker 1: of slowing immigration to a trickle. Trump hasn't built his 57 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:51,640 Speaker 1: promised wall, at least not more than a few small 58 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:55,000 Speaker 1: sections of it. But it turns out he doesn't need it, 59 00:03:55,560 --> 00:04:01,120 Speaker 1: and that's because the wall has become Mexico itself. The 60 00:04:01,160 --> 00:04:04,600 Speaker 1: real wall, the one that President Trump has successfully built, 61 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:08,400 Speaker 1: is not a wall of steel or even cement. You 62 00:04:08,440 --> 00:04:11,440 Speaker 1: could actually say it's a paper wall. It's a wall 63 00:04:11,480 --> 00:04:15,560 Speaker 1: of policies, policies that push migrants out of the US 64 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:20,640 Speaker 1: and further and further south into Mexico. These are policies 65 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:24,320 Speaker 1: made by the United States government, as well as Mexican 66 00:04:24,360 --> 00:04:28,520 Speaker 1: policies made under pressure and with financial support from the 67 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:33,080 Speaker 1: United States. In January of this year, I visited Mexico 68 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:37,400 Speaker 1: both its northern and southern borders to learn more about 69 00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:40,560 Speaker 1: this policy wall and how it's affecting the lives of 70 00:04:40,640 --> 00:04:44,479 Speaker 1: migrants today. I see razor wire now to my right, 71 00:04:45,640 --> 00:04:50,839 Speaker 1: a gate over the pathway. I started by crossing the 72 00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:54,960 Speaker 1: border into Suda Quadris. It's a huge, busy city of 73 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:57,680 Speaker 1: nearly one and a half million people right across the 74 00:04:57,760 --> 00:05:01,359 Speaker 1: Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas is its sister city. 75 00:05:01,720 --> 00:05:04,159 Speaker 1: And as a little girl, I remember making this crossing 76 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:07,080 Speaker 1: a couple of times on family vacations to Mexico. But 77 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:12,599 Speaker 1: now it seems so different. So I've got fence above 78 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:16,080 Speaker 1: my head, fencing to my right, fencing to my left. 79 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:20,839 Speaker 1: It's like I'm in a cage. It's a little strange, 80 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:27,160 Speaker 1: and I'm just getting to the big, huge, rusted, massive 81 00:05:27,240 --> 00:05:35,760 Speaker 1: barricade that is the fence, the wall. It's long, rusty, brown, 82 00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:39,960 Speaker 1: and this was not here. In all of the years 83 00:05:39,960 --> 00:05:44,760 Speaker 1: that I crossed as a little kid, you never saw this. 84 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:52,840 Speaker 1: The border crossing between these two cities is a place 85 00:05:52,839 --> 00:05:56,320 Speaker 1: where the Trump administration has piloted many of its new 86 00:05:56,360 --> 00:05:59,840 Speaker 1: immigration programs. So what is a place where you get 87 00:05:59,880 --> 00:06:04,080 Speaker 1: a chance to see the results. We're going to look 88 00:06:04,080 --> 00:06:08,760 Speaker 1: at policies facing one group of migrants. Specifically, they're considered 89 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:12,560 Speaker 1: the most vulnerable. They're asylum seekers, and they're supposed to 90 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:17,520 Speaker 1: have the most protections and care. Over the last couple 91 00:06:17,520 --> 00:06:21,520 Speaker 1: of years, makeshift tent camps of asylum seekers have popped 92 00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:24,800 Speaker 1: up in cities and towns all along the border. There 93 00:06:24,839 --> 00:06:28,479 Speaker 1: are families that are sleeping under bridges right out in 94 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:32,039 Speaker 1: the open. Here into that what is a large encampment 95 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:35,520 Speaker 1: at a park where thousands of people were living has 96 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:40,440 Speaker 1: recently been disbanded. Now those asylum seekers are scattered throughout 97 00:06:40,440 --> 00:06:43,840 Speaker 1: the city, staying in a series of shelters run by 98 00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:47,920 Speaker 1: churches and private organizations. And one of those shelters will 99 00:06:47,960 --> 00:06:53,680 Speaker 1: be our first stop. So now we're in a very 100 00:06:53,800 --> 00:06:57,160 Speaker 1: poor area of what is the street that we're on 101 00:06:57,320 --> 00:07:01,040 Speaker 1: is not paved, it's all dirt. The shelter we visit 102 00:07:01,240 --> 00:07:04,680 Speaker 1: is located in a squat building with a plain white 103 00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:08,520 Speaker 1: wall and a sign outside that says it's a community center. 104 00:07:09,040 --> 00:07:12,080 Speaker 1: There are some kids outside play soccer, and they told 105 00:07:12,120 --> 00:07:30,480 Speaker 1: me that migrants live here blatt this. We walked towards 106 00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:33,720 Speaker 1: the back of this place and I just begin to 107 00:07:33,840 --> 00:07:37,680 Speaker 1: follow the smell. There's a mixture of sweet and salty 108 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:47,160 Speaker 1: coming from the kitchen. Can see on a very small stove, 109 00:07:47,760 --> 00:07:51,720 Speaker 1: one woman is stirring hot cereal with milk for her kids. 110 00:07:52,360 --> 00:07:55,320 Speaker 1: On another burner, a young man with a funky haircut 111 00:07:55,400 --> 00:07:58,560 Speaker 1: and a pink and blue jacket is making sopita de 112 00:07:58,640 --> 00:08:02,160 Speaker 1: boyo chicken soup. There's an older woman who's getting her 113 00:08:02,160 --> 00:08:05,160 Speaker 1: hair dyed in the kitchen, and others are sitting in 114 00:08:05,200 --> 00:08:07,200 Speaker 1: the back patio smoking cigarettes. 115 00:08:08,520 --> 00:08:09,720 Speaker 7: Yes, I thought from. 116 00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:23,080 Speaker 3: Salman and that's Catherine. 117 00:08:23,240 --> 00:08:25,800 Speaker 1: She's one of the only Hondurans living in this shelter 118 00:08:26,040 --> 00:08:30,040 Speaker 1: full of Cuban asylum seekers. She says they become like 119 00:08:30,120 --> 00:08:33,400 Speaker 1: a big family. They cook together and the other women 120 00:08:33,520 --> 00:08:36,000 Speaker 1: help her with her two daughters, the ones who will 121 00:08:36,040 --> 00:08:39,840 Speaker 1: be getting that hot cereal. Catherine says she feels safe 122 00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:43,200 Speaker 1: here in this shelter, but not at all in the city. 123 00:08:44,200 --> 00:08:50,640 Speaker 2: It's Theranicana. 124 00:08:57,040 --> 00:09:00,360 Speaker 1: Catherine says. When they first arrived in Kwas, she happened 125 00:09:00,360 --> 00:09:02,640 Speaker 1: to see a lady crossing the street with her daughter. 126 00:09:03,360 --> 00:09:07,319 Speaker 1: Then a van stopped, people snatched her child and took off. 127 00:09:07,920 --> 00:09:10,240 Speaker 1: The woman was left in the middle of the street 128 00:09:10,559 --> 00:09:18,680 Speaker 1: screaming me. Catherine says she stopped sending her older daughter 129 00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:21,440 Speaker 1: to school. She doesn't want her kids out of her sight. 130 00:09:21,920 --> 00:09:25,840 Speaker 1: She says they almost never go outside except to go 131 00:09:25,920 --> 00:09:34,040 Speaker 1: to court. That is, in the years she's been at 132 00:09:34,040 --> 00:09:38,520 Speaker 1: this shelter, Catherine has had six, yes, six hearings with 133 00:09:38,679 --> 00:09:42,400 Speaker 1: US immigration officials and still no decision on her claim 134 00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:45,840 Speaker 1: for asylum. What's keeping her and her family here in 135 00:09:45,880 --> 00:09:50,120 Speaker 1: Mexico is the first brick in Trump's policy wall that 136 00:09:50,160 --> 00:09:54,000 Speaker 1: we're going to talk about. It's something called Migrant Protection 137 00:09:54,280 --> 00:09:59,440 Speaker 1: Protocols or MPP. You might have heard about it, and 138 00:09:59,480 --> 00:10:04,040 Speaker 1: it's also referred to as the Remain in Mexico policy 139 00:10:04,080 --> 00:10:07,840 Speaker 1: because that's exactly what it forces people to do. 140 00:10:08,960 --> 00:10:12,840 Speaker 8: Individuals arriving in or entering the United States from Mexico 141 00:10:13,360 --> 00:10:18,320 Speaker 8: illegally or without proper documentation, maybe returned to Mexico for 142 00:10:18,400 --> 00:10:22,080 Speaker 8: the duration of their immigration proceedings. They will not be 143 00:10:22,200 --> 00:10:24,680 Speaker 8: able to disappear into the United States. 144 00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:30,240 Speaker 1: That's former DHS Secretary Kirsten Nielsen announcing the policy back 145 00:10:30,280 --> 00:10:33,679 Speaker 1: in December of twenty eighteen. Since remaining in Mexico went 146 00:10:33,720 --> 00:10:38,400 Speaker 1: into effect, nearly sixty thousand asylum seekers arriving at the 147 00:10:38,520 --> 00:10:42,600 Speaker 1: US border, people like Catherine, have been ordered to wait 148 00:10:42,720 --> 00:10:46,080 Speaker 1: in Mexico while a decision is made in the US 149 00:10:46,520 --> 00:10:50,880 Speaker 1: on their asylum petitions. This is a radical departure from 150 00:10:50,880 --> 00:10:54,439 Speaker 1: how things used to work. Asylum is a process that 151 00:10:54,600 --> 00:10:57,800 Speaker 1: can take years, and that's why in the past, asylum 152 00:10:57,880 --> 00:11:01,040 Speaker 1: seekers were always allowed to wait safe in the US 153 00:11:01,120 --> 00:11:06,080 Speaker 1: for their hearings. Now asylum seekers like Catherine are stuck 154 00:11:06,400 --> 00:11:13,120 Speaker 1: on the other side of the border. She shows me 155 00:11:13,400 --> 00:11:17,520 Speaker 1: her appointment letter from Customs and Border Protection Don delocin 156 00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:18,480 Speaker 1: is where are. 157 00:11:18,440 --> 00:11:23,400 Speaker 4: You keeping this? 158 00:11:23,400 --> 00:11:26,360 Speaker 1: This piece of paper is the only proof that Catherine 159 00:11:26,440 --> 00:11:29,920 Speaker 1: has of her pending case. To make sure she never 160 00:11:29,960 --> 00:11:32,880 Speaker 1: loses it or that no one takes it, she says, 161 00:11:32,920 --> 00:11:35,720 Speaker 1: she sleeps with it underneath her so you sleep with it. 162 00:11:38,920 --> 00:11:43,199 Speaker 1: Part of the reason that Catherine and sixty thousand asylum seekers, 163 00:11:43,559 --> 00:11:47,160 Speaker 1: mostly Central Americans, have been ordered to wait in Mexico 164 00:11:47,800 --> 00:11:52,839 Speaker 1: is a surprisingly cooperative relationship between President Trump and Mexico's 165 00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:57,319 Speaker 1: President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, better known as AMLO. 166 00:11:57,960 --> 00:12:09,520 Speaker 9: In Amos Abricaraticos NOMANDLO. 167 00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:14,760 Speaker 1: In twenty eighteen, AMLO became Mexico's first leftist president in decades, 168 00:12:15,360 --> 00:12:18,960 Speaker 1: and at first, migrant advocates had high expectations. 169 00:12:19,559 --> 00:12:24,240 Speaker 10: Mexico's leftist presidential candidate, Andre Es Manuel Lopez Operador is 170 00:12:24,280 --> 00:12:27,400 Speaker 10: in New York to show solidarity with his fellow countrymen 171 00:12:27,440 --> 00:12:31,199 Speaker 10: living in the city. He claims the Trump administration's immigration 172 00:12:31,320 --> 00:12:33,679 Speaker 10: crackdown is a violation of human rights. 173 00:12:34,920 --> 00:12:38,160 Speaker 1: It seemed like AMLO was really going to change things 174 00:12:38,559 --> 00:12:41,520 Speaker 1: right away. He created this fund to address root causes 175 00:12:41,559 --> 00:12:46,120 Speaker 1: of migration from Central America. He pledged thirty billion dollars 176 00:12:46,320 --> 00:12:49,680 Speaker 1: over the next five years. But then some began to 177 00:12:49,800 --> 00:12:53,520 Speaker 1: question how many of the progressive policies he talked about 178 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:58,320 Speaker 1: could really be achieved. Then in the summer of last year, 179 00:12:58,800 --> 00:13:00,560 Speaker 1: AMLO was put to the test. 180 00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:04,920 Speaker 11: So President Trump is increasing pressure on Mexico, demanding the 181 00:13:04,960 --> 00:13:09,400 Speaker 11: country does something to stop undocumented immigrants from crossing the border. Overnight, 182 00:13:09,440 --> 00:13:12,400 Speaker 11: President Trump tweeted the United States will impose tariffs on 183 00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:14,679 Speaker 11: Mexico until the flow of migrants stops. 184 00:13:15,679 --> 00:13:20,480 Speaker 1: At first, AMLA refused, but as pressure intensified and with 185 00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:24,840 Speaker 1: Mexico's economy under threat, he had a surprising change of heart. 186 00:13:25,880 --> 00:13:28,679 Speaker 8: After ten days of threats from President Trump to levy 187 00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:31,880 Speaker 8: tariffs on Mexican products, mister Trump announced Friday night that 188 00:13:31,920 --> 00:13:33,120 Speaker 8: he had struck a deal. 189 00:13:33,880 --> 00:13:37,359 Speaker 1: The deal was to work with Trump on immigration enforcement. 190 00:13:37,920 --> 00:13:41,440 Speaker 1: AMLO agreed to a plan to greatly expand MPP the 191 00:13:41,520 --> 00:13:45,480 Speaker 1: remain in Mexico policy, and to begin using Mexico's newly 192 00:13:45,559 --> 00:13:49,719 Speaker 1: minted National Guard to patrol the border and detain migrants. 193 00:13:50,040 --> 00:13:52,199 Speaker 1: It had been sold to the public as a force 194 00:13:52,200 --> 00:13:59,800 Speaker 1: that would deal with crime and corruption issues. By September 195 00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:04,080 Speaker 1: of twenty nineteen, Mexico announced it had reduced migrant movement 196 00:14:04,200 --> 00:14:08,240 Speaker 1: north towards the US border by fifty percent. And this 197 00:14:08,360 --> 00:14:11,680 Speaker 1: collaboration between the US and Mexico has led to a 198 00:14:11,720 --> 00:14:15,960 Speaker 1: situation that has put asylum seekers lives on the line. 199 00:14:19,880 --> 00:15:07,680 Speaker 1: That's coming up. Stay with us, not by yes. Welcome 200 00:15:07,680 --> 00:15:11,120 Speaker 1: back to Latino, USA. I'm Maria j Josan. Let's return 201 00:15:11,160 --> 00:15:13,880 Speaker 1: to part one of The Moving Border, our award winning 202 00:15:13,920 --> 00:15:17,440 Speaker 1: series from twenty twenty let's see what's at the port 203 00:15:17,440 --> 00:15:21,560 Speaker 1: of entry by the border. I'm waiting for attorney Linda 204 00:15:21,760 --> 00:15:23,240 Speaker 1: Rivas Hi. 205 00:15:25,200 --> 00:15:25,360 Speaker 3: Hi. 206 00:15:25,440 --> 00:15:27,120 Speaker 1: Linda Maria me too. 207 00:15:27,920 --> 00:15:31,800 Speaker 7: I'm the executive director at Las America's Immigrant Advocacy Center 208 00:15:32,120 --> 00:15:35,800 Speaker 7: and we're a thirty two year old legal nonprofit in 209 00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:38,960 Speaker 7: I'll Pass to Texas and as of the Remain in 210 00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:42,880 Speaker 7: Mexico program starting, a lot of our work is now 211 00:15:43,080 --> 00:15:44,760 Speaker 7: on this side of the border into da Quadas. 212 00:15:45,440 --> 00:15:49,400 Speaker 1: Linda takes me to see another piece of Trump's policy 213 00:15:49,440 --> 00:15:52,360 Speaker 1: wall in action. Where are we described where we are? 214 00:15:53,160 --> 00:15:56,520 Speaker 7: You crossed the bridge and you just turn the corner 215 00:15:56,600 --> 00:15:58,240 Speaker 7: and it's kind of hidden in here. 216 00:15:58,440 --> 00:16:02,920 Speaker 1: And it's called the GAEME, which is the Center for 217 00:16:03,040 --> 00:16:07,520 Speaker 1: Comprehensive Migrant Services, is a state run agency that acts 218 00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:10,840 Speaker 1: as a processing center of sorts for migrants in what 219 00:16:11,080 --> 00:16:14,760 Speaker 1: is now Its goal is to provide a one stop 220 00:16:14,840 --> 00:16:18,000 Speaker 1: shop where migrants can apply for social services, where they 221 00:16:18,000 --> 00:16:19,239 Speaker 1: can get legal assistance. 222 00:16:19,680 --> 00:16:25,040 Speaker 7: And also this is also where people are being metered. 223 00:16:27,400 --> 00:16:30,760 Speaker 1: Metering is another way the US and Mexican governments are 224 00:16:30,800 --> 00:16:34,960 Speaker 1: collaborating on border policy, even if it's a little unofficial. 225 00:16:35,880 --> 00:16:39,880 Speaker 1: So what metering means simply is that US officials have 226 00:16:39,960 --> 00:16:43,840 Speaker 1: been arbitrarily limiting the number of people who are allowed 227 00:16:43,880 --> 00:16:46,560 Speaker 1: to present themselves at the border each day to ask 228 00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:47,360 Speaker 1: for asylum. 229 00:16:47,520 --> 00:16:49,680 Speaker 7: They're not letting them physically step foot into the United 230 00:16:49,720 --> 00:16:51,560 Speaker 7: States to legally seek asylum. 231 00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:53,520 Speaker 4: They're saying we're full, go away. 232 00:16:54,080 --> 00:16:57,440 Speaker 7: And when they say we're full, go away, they're Suddenly 233 00:16:57,440 --> 00:17:01,280 Speaker 7: a system emerged that was like, okay, taking thirty people today, 234 00:17:01,480 --> 00:17:04,080 Speaker 7: we're taking ten people today. We're taking no one today. 235 00:17:04,600 --> 00:17:07,840 Speaker 1: Once the US started taking fewer people, it caused a 236 00:17:07,920 --> 00:17:12,200 Speaker 1: huge backlog of migrants waiting in Mexico to ask for asylum, 237 00:17:12,400 --> 00:17:18,119 Speaker 1: and that's when the list began. It started as a 238 00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:21,640 Speaker 1: kind of makeshift list in a migrants notebook well over 239 00:17:21,680 --> 00:17:24,600 Speaker 1: a year ago, with new people arriving every day. It 240 00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:27,600 Speaker 1: kept track of who was here first and whose turn 241 00:17:27,680 --> 00:17:29,359 Speaker 1: it would be to go to the border and speak 242 00:17:29,400 --> 00:17:32,399 Speaker 1: to a US officer to present their claim. It was 243 00:17:32,440 --> 00:17:35,480 Speaker 1: the way migrants could take some control of the situation 244 00:17:35,920 --> 00:17:39,600 Speaker 1: and keep some order while they waited. Eventually, in what 245 00:17:39,880 --> 00:17:44,680 Speaker 1: is this government office took charge of the list. 246 00:17:45,200 --> 00:17:50,720 Speaker 5: CBP receive alis persona's o ying nos camlos and illumero 247 00:17:51,560 --> 00:17:54,760 Speaker 5: yesinoento bentiocho. 248 00:17:54,480 --> 00:17:58,720 Speaker 1: CBP we'll see ten people today, number nineteen four hundred 249 00:17:58,760 --> 00:18:01,919 Speaker 1: and twenty eight. A Mexican official calls this out to 250 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:03,000 Speaker 1: a large room. 251 00:18:03,200 --> 00:18:07,080 Speaker 5: Qua quatrocento treenta. 252 00:18:07,600 --> 00:18:11,000 Speaker 1: The person holding the number approaches the official to say 253 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:11,520 Speaker 1: that they're. 254 00:18:11,359 --> 00:18:19,240 Speaker 5: Here, pat you know, quatroc quadraqua. 255 00:18:31,119 --> 00:18:34,240 Speaker 1: An official later tells me that at its highest point, 256 00:18:34,520 --> 00:18:37,400 Speaker 1: there are over six thousand people on the list at 257 00:18:37,440 --> 00:18:41,000 Speaker 1: once waiting for their number to be called. Right now 258 00:18:41,119 --> 00:18:43,919 Speaker 1: there are just two hundred names of people waiting on 259 00:18:43,960 --> 00:18:47,520 Speaker 1: the list. It's another sign that the policy wall is 260 00:18:47,600 --> 00:18:50,920 Speaker 1: doing the job it was meant to do. And even 261 00:18:50,960 --> 00:18:55,399 Speaker 1: though we saw it happening ourselves, Mexican officials won't admit 262 00:18:55,520 --> 00:18:59,159 Speaker 1: on the record that they're managing the list. They know 263 00:18:59,440 --> 00:19:03,240 Speaker 1: that work with the US on this would be controversial. 264 00:19:03,119 --> 00:19:07,679 Speaker 7: And so this has been a pretty unofficial cooperation between 265 00:19:07,680 --> 00:19:11,880 Speaker 7: the two governments to what the United States is trying 266 00:19:11,920 --> 00:19:16,120 Speaker 7: to control the flow with. I believe no. 267 00:19:16,200 --> 00:19:25,760 Speaker 1: Justification, Riva says. Metering and the Remain in Mexico policy 268 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:30,280 Speaker 1: work hand in hand. Metering keeps asylum seekers in Mexico 269 00:19:30,640 --> 00:19:33,040 Speaker 1: waiting for their number to be called, and once it 270 00:19:33,080 --> 00:19:37,600 Speaker 1: finally is the remain in Mexico policy then draws out 271 00:19:37,800 --> 00:19:43,679 Speaker 1: that weight. The problem is the US has exported a 272 00:19:43,800 --> 00:19:49,119 Speaker 1: key responsibility for dealing with highly vulnerable refugees their immediate 273 00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:53,440 Speaker 1: safety and protection. Mexico is left to figure it out, 274 00:19:53,960 --> 00:19:58,119 Speaker 1: and they have no requirement to prove anything is being done. 275 00:19:58,960 --> 00:20:03,160 Speaker 1: What Mexico has done is this, migrants on MPP are 276 00:20:03,200 --> 00:20:06,240 Speaker 1: now given a document which protects them from being deported 277 00:20:06,280 --> 00:20:09,960 Speaker 1: from Mexico while their case is pending. If they want 278 00:20:09,960 --> 00:20:13,080 Speaker 1: to work legally in Mexico while they're waiting or access healthcare, 279 00:20:13,480 --> 00:20:16,000 Speaker 1: they have to request something called a group, which is 280 00:20:16,040 --> 00:20:19,320 Speaker 1: basically like a temporary Social Security number, but it only 281 00:20:19,400 --> 00:20:23,000 Speaker 1: lasts six months. And whether they can get this document 282 00:20:23,080 --> 00:20:26,119 Speaker 1: in every border city or if it can be renewed, 283 00:20:26,760 --> 00:20:28,160 Speaker 1: depends on who you ask. 284 00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:32,320 Speaker 6: I think that reflects the fact that on paper things 285 00:20:32,320 --> 00:20:33,880 Speaker 6: are one way, and then in practice. 286 00:20:33,560 --> 00:20:37,000 Speaker 1: It's another's that's Maureen Mayor. She's an advocate at the 287 00:20:37,119 --> 00:20:40,920 Speaker 1: Washington Office on Latin America. She says Mexico is getting 288 00:20:40,960 --> 00:20:45,000 Speaker 1: by providing the bare minimum for those waiting under MPP. 289 00:20:45,640 --> 00:20:50,440 Speaker 6: The Mexican government really promised originally to look at opportunities 290 00:20:50,440 --> 00:20:53,959 Speaker 6: for employment and other services. We really haven't seen that 291 00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:57,119 Speaker 6: pan out at the border or elsewhere. 292 00:20:57,119 --> 00:21:01,639 Speaker 1: In Quitas, Mexico's government has what they think is attempting 293 00:21:01,760 --> 00:21:04,600 Speaker 1: offer for those who have been forced to remain in 294 00:21:04,680 --> 00:21:07,280 Speaker 1: the north of Mexico and fear the high levels of 295 00:21:07,359 --> 00:21:10,960 Speaker 1: crime here. They're offering a free bus ride to the 296 00:21:11,080 --> 00:21:13,680 Speaker 1: south of Mexico while they weigh out their process. 297 00:21:14,080 --> 00:21:16,959 Speaker 6: So one way ticket, you have to figure out on 298 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:19,600 Speaker 6: your own how to get the funds to bust yourself 299 00:21:19,640 --> 00:21:22,760 Speaker 6: back up to the border. And obviously that poses the 300 00:21:22,840 --> 00:21:25,560 Speaker 6: question to what happens if your hearing date changes. So 301 00:21:25,640 --> 00:21:29,120 Speaker 6: it's I think it's for the most part a program 302 00:21:29,119 --> 00:21:32,080 Speaker 6: that the mexicanum adopted to try to get people out 303 00:21:32,119 --> 00:21:34,720 Speaker 6: of the northern border. But if they're really concerned about 304 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:37,400 Speaker 6: supporting this population, you wouldn't send them all the way 305 00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:38,680 Speaker 6: back to southern Mexico. 306 00:21:39,160 --> 00:21:42,920 Speaker 1: This is an instance where Mexico isn't just a passive 307 00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:47,560 Speaker 1: bystander to a US policy that pushes asylum seekers away 308 00:21:47,640 --> 00:21:51,800 Speaker 1: from the US border. This is one that Mexico has created. 309 00:21:52,440 --> 00:21:56,359 Speaker 1: Meyer thinks the point of the bussing program ultimately is 310 00:21:56,400 --> 00:21:59,960 Speaker 1: to convince people to just give up on their asylum claims. 311 00:22:00,320 --> 00:22:03,200 Speaker 6: Maybe if we can make it so uncomfortable and unbearable 312 00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:04,600 Speaker 6: to stay there, people just go home. 313 00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:08,359 Speaker 1: But for those who still decide to stay, the end 314 00:22:08,440 --> 00:22:11,600 Speaker 1: result of this policy wall we've been talking about is 315 00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:14,879 Speaker 1: that asylum seekers are stuck on the border for long 316 00:22:14,960 --> 00:22:19,560 Speaker 1: periods of time, living in shelters in an ambiguous legal status, 317 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:23,440 Speaker 1: and that adds up to a situation that puts them 318 00:22:23,720 --> 00:22:35,240 Speaker 1: at risk. Which leads me to the story of M 319 00:22:35,600 --> 00:22:39,040 Speaker 1: and her seven year old daughter A. We're referring to 320 00:22:39,080 --> 00:22:43,399 Speaker 1: them by their first initials for their protection. Linda introduces 321 00:22:43,440 --> 00:22:46,760 Speaker 1: me to them at the migrant center, and later I'm 322 00:22:46,800 --> 00:22:49,879 Speaker 1: invited to visit M at the house where she's staying 323 00:22:50,240 --> 00:22:59,800 Speaker 1: to hear their story in a little bit more privacy, 324 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:03,399 Speaker 1: living with an employee from the shelter, and in return 325 00:23:03,520 --> 00:23:06,399 Speaker 1: for a bedroom that she shares with her daughter, she 326 00:23:06,440 --> 00:23:09,760 Speaker 1: has to clean the house and keep things tidy. Em 327 00:23:09,840 --> 00:23:12,800 Speaker 1: says she traveled with her daughter as well as her 328 00:23:12,880 --> 00:23:16,479 Speaker 1: husband and young son from Monduras. Somewhere along the way, 329 00:23:16,680 --> 00:23:19,679 Speaker 1: they were split up and Em continued north with her 330 00:23:19,800 --> 00:23:23,520 Speaker 1: daughter alone. Then she tells me they were kidnapped just 331 00:23:23,720 --> 00:23:25,679 Speaker 1: hours after they arrived in what is. 332 00:23:26,480 --> 00:23:38,080 Speaker 4: Yea in Mediunayama. 333 00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:47,600 Speaker 1: Em says she was sitting at a bus stop with 334 00:23:47,680 --> 00:23:50,119 Speaker 1: her daughter on the outskirts of the city, trying to 335 00:23:50,119 --> 00:23:53,879 Speaker 1: get downtown. It was dusk and by now it was cold. 336 00:23:54,560 --> 00:23:57,679 Speaker 1: They didn't have coats, which is the easiest way to 337 00:23:57,800 --> 00:24:01,240 Speaker 1: spot new arrivals to what is during the winter months. 338 00:24:02,119 --> 00:24:05,080 Speaker 1: Em says that a man sat down on the bench 339 00:24:05,160 --> 00:24:08,640 Speaker 1: next to her and asked where she was heading. Then 340 00:24:08,680 --> 00:24:10,639 Speaker 1: he got up and made a phone call, and a 341 00:24:10,680 --> 00:24:14,880 Speaker 1: few minutes later, a truck pulls up, a man gets out. 342 00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:19,240 Speaker 1: He flashes a gun and tells her to get in 343 00:24:19,320 --> 00:24:22,879 Speaker 1: with her daughter. Em says that they were taken to 344 00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:26,560 Speaker 1: a warehouse where ten other migrants were being held. She 345 00:24:26,640 --> 00:24:30,760 Speaker 1: says the kidnappers contacted their families for ransom money. Em 346 00:24:30,840 --> 00:24:34,240 Speaker 1: says when the kidnappers would take people out of the warehouse, 347 00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:48,920 Speaker 1: they never came back. M one day they came for her, 348 00:24:49,320 --> 00:24:51,960 Speaker 1: crammed her and her daughter, a and a few others 349 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:54,719 Speaker 1: into the backseat of a car. She says, when they 350 00:24:54,720 --> 00:24:57,040 Speaker 1: got caught in traffic for a moment, she knew it 351 00:24:57,119 --> 00:25:00,160 Speaker 1: was now or never, since no ransom had been paid. 352 00:25:00,760 --> 00:25:03,320 Speaker 1: She managed to push open the car door and run 353 00:25:03,320 --> 00:25:06,560 Speaker 1: away with her daughter. The mom tells me that a 354 00:25:06,560 --> 00:25:10,360 Speaker 1: good Samaritan takes them to a shelter. It was so 355 00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:14,480 Speaker 1: packed there weren't enough beds or blankets, so mother and 356 00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:17,600 Speaker 1: daughter were forced to sleep on the floor in a 357 00:25:17,720 --> 00:25:19,400 Speaker 1: room full of strangers. 358 00:25:19,800 --> 00:25:29,120 Speaker 12: Muchahinte mucha hendekovi hasna vie suficientropa. 359 00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:34,240 Speaker 1: And then one night at the shelter, something horrible happened. 360 00:25:35,119 --> 00:25:39,080 Speaker 1: Em says her young daughter woke up next to her naked, 361 00:25:39,760 --> 00:25:43,560 Speaker 1: and she believes her daughter was sexually assaulted. She took 362 00:25:43,600 --> 00:25:45,879 Speaker 1: her daughter to the doctor and tried to report this 363 00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:49,080 Speaker 1: to the police, but she says when they saw her 364 00:25:49,320 --> 00:25:53,080 Speaker 1: enduran i d they refused to take down a report. 365 00:25:53,560 --> 00:25:57,320 Speaker 1: Em says this entire thing has been eating away at 366 00:25:57,320 --> 00:25:58,240 Speaker 1: her ever since. 367 00:25:58,960 --> 00:26:19,399 Speaker 12: Cisolo Misonoki mah who knew ka Mi Si who's ikas. 368 00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:24,240 Speaker 1: M says she feels guilty. After all, she left Hodudas 369 00:26:24,280 --> 00:26:27,520 Speaker 1: to protect her kids and give them an education. She 370 00:26:27,600 --> 00:26:29,800 Speaker 1: says she had no way to know everything that they'd 371 00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:33,240 Speaker 1: go through, and still after all of this, they haven't 372 00:26:33,280 --> 00:26:36,640 Speaker 1: even been able to get into the United States, even 373 00:26:36,640 --> 00:26:39,680 Speaker 1: though the Remain in Mexico policy is supposed to make 374 00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:43,320 Speaker 1: an exception for migrants who are in very vulnerable positions. 375 00:26:44,160 --> 00:26:47,760 Speaker 1: M and her daughter, twice victims of crime in Mexico, 376 00:26:48,040 --> 00:26:51,400 Speaker 1: were told that they must remain in Mexico for however 377 00:26:51,560 --> 00:26:55,399 Speaker 1: long it takes for the United States to decide their case. 378 00:27:01,520 --> 00:27:04,760 Speaker 1: In the beginning, when Linda Rivas, the lawyer, first started 379 00:27:04,800 --> 00:27:08,480 Speaker 1: representing them, they were hopeful. But now the mom says 380 00:27:08,520 --> 00:27:11,400 Speaker 1: after her last hearing, she doesn't know what to think anymore. 381 00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:15,560 Speaker 1: The judge, she says, seemed like he didn't even care 382 00:27:15,680 --> 00:27:21,879 Speaker 1: to hear what had happened to them. And A, even 383 00:27:21,920 --> 00:27:25,959 Speaker 1: though she's only seven years old, she's picking up on 384 00:27:26,160 --> 00:27:26,960 Speaker 1: all of it. 385 00:27:28,600 --> 00:27:34,840 Speaker 12: Said Mommy, joy no devas and mentira yelo de Miraira. 386 00:27:35,520 --> 00:27:38,000 Speaker 1: The little girl tells her mom now that it's all 387 00:27:38,080 --> 00:27:40,960 Speaker 1: a lie, that the United States will never let them in. 388 00:27:41,880 --> 00:27:44,560 Speaker 1: She's clearly been affected by everything that they've gone through. 389 00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:48,000 Speaker 1: Her mom says that now her daughter rarely sleeps through 390 00:27:48,080 --> 00:27:57,760 Speaker 1: the night. As I was leaving, I decided to give 391 00:27:58,320 --> 00:28:01,320 Speaker 1: this little girl a b did prayer bracelet that I 392 00:28:01,440 --> 00:28:05,119 Speaker 1: was wearing. I tell her that she can count the 393 00:28:05,240 --> 00:28:08,720 Speaker 1: beads at night when she can't sleep, just the way 394 00:28:08,920 --> 00:28:28,520 Speaker 1: that I do. Juan luezo and then all of a sudden, 395 00:28:28,800 --> 00:28:32,320 Speaker 1: the little girl grabs her long hair, covers her face 396 00:28:32,400 --> 00:28:35,200 Speaker 1: with it, and she starts telling me that she's always 397 00:28:35,320 --> 00:28:38,520 Speaker 1: dreaming about her mom being kidnapped again. That's why she 398 00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:40,600 Speaker 1: wakes up crying in the middle of the night. 399 00:28:48,400 --> 00:28:49,200 Speaker 6: M Le. 400 00:28:51,560 --> 00:28:56,920 Speaker 1: Mohammada. We didn't eat, she says. Then she tells me 401 00:28:57,040 --> 00:28:59,840 Speaker 1: that they were there for five days, that they mistreated her, 402 00:29:00,600 --> 00:29:03,200 Speaker 1: yelled at her, pushed her, told her that they'd be 403 00:29:03,360 --> 00:29:21,080 Speaker 1: killed if they didn't payaroy I. Then she says she 404 00:29:21,280 --> 00:29:23,760 Speaker 1: can't stop thinking about all the other people in the 405 00:29:23,840 --> 00:29:27,080 Speaker 1: car who didn't get a chance to escape. She says, 406 00:29:27,560 --> 00:29:32,040 Speaker 1: dio suos by you that God will help them, a 407 00:29:32,160 --> 00:29:36,240 Speaker 1: comforting phrase she's likely heard during these fearful times in 408 00:29:36,320 --> 00:29:46,320 Speaker 1: her life. And had told me that her daughter A 409 00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:50,400 Speaker 1: dreams of becoming a doctor. So I looked at a 410 00:29:50,800 --> 00:29:53,200 Speaker 1: in her eyes and I said, I know you can 411 00:29:53,280 --> 00:29:55,800 Speaker 1: become that doctor that you dream of becoming. I know 412 00:29:55,920 --> 00:30:01,640 Speaker 1: you can do it. Okay, see Mpiippians that get boy, 413 00:30:01,680 --> 00:30:22,520 Speaker 1: they said, it's ben defeaciing Okay, Okay. Kidnappings aren't new 414 00:30:22,800 --> 00:30:27,160 Speaker 1: in Mexico, but the number of violent attacks on migrants 415 00:30:27,560 --> 00:30:32,720 Speaker 1: are increasing. Over the last year, more than one thousand murders, rapes, 416 00:30:32,760 --> 00:30:36,560 Speaker 1: and kidnappings were reported in Mexico by migrants on MPP. 417 00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:40,680 Speaker 1: The remain in Mexico policy, and these are just the 418 00:30:40,880 --> 00:30:45,800 Speaker 1: reported cases. Advocates like Maureen Meyer say the numbers are 419 00:30:46,120 --> 00:30:47,240 Speaker 1: likely much higher. 420 00:30:47,560 --> 00:30:51,080 Speaker 6: There's so many cases that are documented of asilence seekers 421 00:30:51,160 --> 00:30:55,280 Speaker 6: under the program that are magician of kidnapping, sexual assault, explorations, robbery. 422 00:30:55,600 --> 00:30:58,200 Speaker 6: That is also the responsibility in the Mexican government. The 423 00:30:58,320 --> 00:31:02,440 Speaker 6: Mexican government accepted this that the US is implementing there 424 00:31:02,920 --> 00:31:06,920 Speaker 6: and has done very little to ensure that anyone under 425 00:31:06,960 --> 00:31:10,640 Speaker 6: the partner is being adequately protected, is given in access 426 00:31:10,640 --> 00:31:13,200 Speaker 6: to shelter or any of the basic public services that 427 00:31:13,280 --> 00:31:16,400 Speaker 6: they need to be able to safely stay and pursue 428 00:31:16,400 --> 00:31:16,840 Speaker 6: their clients. 429 00:31:17,560 --> 00:31:21,040 Speaker 1: On top of that, the chances of getting asylum approved 430 00:31:21,080 --> 00:31:25,240 Speaker 1: are extremely low. Just zero point one percent of MPP 431 00:31:25,520 --> 00:31:29,960 Speaker 1: cases have been granted, and since COVID nineteen began the 432 00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:33,720 Speaker 1: situation is even more bleak. Most have had their asylum 433 00:31:33,800 --> 00:31:38,840 Speaker 1: hearings postponed indefinitely as immigration courts shut down in the US. 434 00:31:39,480 --> 00:31:44,160 Speaker 1: That includes the case of M and A and the 435 00:31:44,240 --> 00:31:49,160 Speaker 1: asylum list that's done too. Restrictions are so tight now 436 00:31:49,320 --> 00:31:53,160 Speaker 1: that since late March, less than a dozen asylum seekers 437 00:31:53,400 --> 00:32:07,080 Speaker 1: have been allowed to enter into the United States. We're 438 00:32:07,120 --> 00:32:09,760 Speaker 1: in the desert, so we've been hot all day. You know, 439 00:32:09,840 --> 00:32:12,720 Speaker 1: it's been super warm all day. The sun is just 440 00:32:12,800 --> 00:32:16,680 Speaker 1: about to go down behind the mountains, and already the 441 00:32:16,760 --> 00:32:19,160 Speaker 1: temperature has dropped I don't know, ten degrees in a 442 00:32:19,240 --> 00:32:22,040 Speaker 1: matter of maybe fifteen minutes, but I'm already starting to 443 00:32:22,160 --> 00:32:27,560 Speaker 1: feel shivery. To think that there were children sleeping outside 444 00:32:28,600 --> 00:32:33,280 Speaker 1: in these conditions. It's all about making this as difficult 445 00:32:33,800 --> 00:32:38,240 Speaker 1: and as trying and as it's just breaking you down, 446 00:32:38,320 --> 00:32:41,000 Speaker 1: it's wearing you down. These are human beings, you know. 447 00:32:41,160 --> 00:32:43,440 Speaker 1: I mean, we're tough, you know, but there comes a 448 00:32:43,480 --> 00:32:45,880 Speaker 1: point where you just say, I just can't do this, 449 00:32:47,600 --> 00:32:50,120 Speaker 1: And that's where it's just like, Wow, how many more 450 00:32:50,120 --> 00:33:04,560 Speaker 1: are gonna never try and walk away? My trip to 451 00:33:04,760 --> 00:33:08,600 Speaker 1: what Is illuminated a lot about how policy changes have 452 00:33:08,720 --> 00:33:13,240 Speaker 1: effectively turned Mexico into a place of permanent limbo for 453 00:33:13,400 --> 00:33:17,480 Speaker 1: migrants and in between world a kind of barrier itself 454 00:33:17,760 --> 00:33:22,160 Speaker 1: between them and the United States, the policy wall. We've 455 00:33:22,240 --> 00:33:26,040 Speaker 1: talked about this episode pushes migrants deeper and deeper into 456 00:33:26,120 --> 00:33:30,120 Speaker 1: Mexico and away from the eyes of public accountability. But 457 00:33:30,320 --> 00:33:34,120 Speaker 1: stopping migrants at the northern border is only part of 458 00:33:34,160 --> 00:33:39,000 Speaker 1: the plan. Immigration opponents want to stop migrants long before 459 00:33:39,520 --> 00:33:42,600 Speaker 1: at the other end of Mexico, on its southern border 460 00:33:42,720 --> 00:33:46,120 Speaker 1: with Watemala, in a place called Tapachula. 461 00:33:47,720 --> 00:33:48,600 Speaker 9: When I see. 462 00:33:48,440 --> 00:33:58,440 Speaker 1: It's Saturday, January eleventh, and now I'm at the airport 463 00:33:58,480 --> 00:34:01,000 Speaker 1: and I'm getting ready to bord a flight to Tapachula, 464 00:34:01,720 --> 00:34:04,200 Speaker 1: I realized that the only way to really understand what's 465 00:34:04,240 --> 00:34:07,320 Speaker 1: happening at this northern border is to go to a 466 00:34:07,400 --> 00:34:12,920 Speaker 1: completely different one, much further south. And there's another reason 467 00:34:13,160 --> 00:34:16,319 Speaker 1: why I want to go to Tapachula. One year ago, 468 00:34:16,760 --> 00:34:20,680 Speaker 1: I met a young migrant named Josue in Matamoros. He 469 00:34:21,080 --> 00:34:24,120 Speaker 1: was my son's age twenty three at the time, and 470 00:34:24,239 --> 00:34:27,320 Speaker 1: he was living under a bridge hoping for a chance 471 00:34:27,440 --> 00:34:31,040 Speaker 1: to cross into the United States. Over the year, he's 472 00:34:31,160 --> 00:34:33,840 Speaker 1: kept in touch with me, and the last time I 473 00:34:33,920 --> 00:34:37,279 Speaker 1: spoke with him, he was living in Tapachula trying to 474 00:34:37,360 --> 00:34:40,520 Speaker 1: get back to the United States. And I've been talking 475 00:34:40,640 --> 00:34:44,160 Speaker 1: to him throughout my trip, making plans to finally see 476 00:34:44,200 --> 00:34:48,120 Speaker 1: him in Tapachula and hear his story. But now I 477 00:34:48,280 --> 00:34:51,520 Speaker 1: wasn't getting through to him, and so now I'm calling him. 478 00:34:51,600 --> 00:34:52,120 Speaker 4: Let's see. 479 00:34:58,840 --> 00:35:01,800 Speaker 1: Just rings and rings and r and rings. So I 480 00:35:01,840 --> 00:35:04,439 Speaker 1: don't know, you know, did somebody offer him a trip 481 00:35:04,520 --> 00:35:08,120 Speaker 1: and he just said I'm out? Did he get kidnapped? 482 00:35:08,640 --> 00:35:11,400 Speaker 1: Did he get put into a detention facility? Was he 483 00:35:11,520 --> 00:35:14,320 Speaker 1: arrested because he's sleeping on the street. So yeah, this 484 00:35:14,480 --> 00:35:18,239 Speaker 1: is exactly what it looks like. This is what thousands 485 00:35:18,320 --> 00:35:24,000 Speaker 1: of people are going through, which is suddenly you're not 486 00:35:24,120 --> 00:35:28,360 Speaker 1: in contact with this person. They're gone. Let's see what 487 00:35:28,400 --> 00:35:37,680 Speaker 1: happens when we get to Tapachuna. That's our flight. Okay, 488 00:35:37,719 --> 00:35:49,520 Speaker 1: that's our flight. My thanks to Jurrieta Martinelli for producing 489 00:35:49,600 --> 00:35:52,800 Speaker 1: that story with me. The movie Border series was produced 490 00:35:52,840 --> 00:35:56,280 Speaker 1: in partnership with the Pulitzer Center, with additional support provided 491 00:35:56,360 --> 00:35:59,919 Speaker 1: by the Ford Foundation. This series was edited by Merlin Bish. 492 00:36:00,320 --> 00:36:20,880 Speaker 1: The executive producer is Dian Selvester. That's it for Today. 493 00:36:21,160 --> 00:36:24,680 Speaker 1: Latino USA is produced by Mike Sargent, Julia Ta Martinelli, 494 00:36:24,920 --> 00:36:31,200 Speaker 1: Victori Estrada, Patricia Sulbaran, Gini Montago, Alejandra Salasa, Rinaldo, Reannoz Junior, 495 00:36:31,280 --> 00:36:34,840 Speaker 1: and Julia Rocha were edited by Andrea Lopez Cruzado and 496 00:36:34,920 --> 00:36:38,680 Speaker 1: Marta Martinez with help from Raoul Prees. Our editorial directors 497 00:36:38,760 --> 00:36:42,440 Speaker 1: Julio Ricardo Barela. Our engineers are Stephanie Lebou, Julia Caruso 498 00:36:42,560 --> 00:36:45,640 Speaker 1: and Lea Sha Damron, with help this week from Gabriel A. 499 00:36:45,680 --> 00:36:49,280 Speaker 1: Bias and jj Carubin. Our digital editor is Louis Luna. 500 00:36:49,480 --> 00:36:52,520 Speaker 1: Our New York Women's Foundation Ignite fellow is Mari Esquinka. 501 00:36:52,640 --> 00:36:55,440 Speaker 1: Our theme music was composed by Zenia Rubinos. If you 502 00:36:55,520 --> 00:36:57,480 Speaker 1: like the music you heard on this episode, stop by 503 00:36:57,560 --> 00:37:00,800 Speaker 1: Latino Usa dot org and check out our weekly Spodify playlist. 504 00:37:01,080 --> 00:37:04,000 Speaker 1: I'm your host and executive producer Madiaina Hossa. Join us 505 00:37:04,040 --> 00:37:06,919 Speaker 1: again on our next episode, and in the meantime find 506 00:37:07,000 --> 00:37:08,879 Speaker 1: us on social media. I'll see you there. 507 00:37:09,239 --> 00:37:09,520 Speaker 6: I E. 508 00:37:11,680 --> 00:37:16,320 Speaker 3: Latino USA is made possible in part by the Ford Foundation, 509 00:37:16,960 --> 00:37:20,920 Speaker 3: working with visionaries on the front lines of social change worldwide, 510 00:37:21,719 --> 00:37:27,960 Speaker 3: the Heising Simons Foundation unlocking knowledge, opportunity and possibilities. More 511 00:37:28,160 --> 00:37:33,520 Speaker 3: at hsfoundation dot org and the John D. And Catherine T. 512 00:37:33,760 --> 00:37:34,640 Speaker 3: MacArthur Foundation. 513 00:37:39,680 --> 00:37:44,000 Speaker 1: I'm Madie no Hosa. Next time on Latino Usa, SIEMA funk, 514 00:37:44,480 --> 00:37:47,880 Speaker 1: the so called Cuban James Brown talks about his journey 515 00:37:47,920 --> 00:37:52,359 Speaker 1: from medical school to the music industry. That's next Time 516 00:37:52,520 --> 00:37:53,480 Speaker 1: on Latino USA.