Residents of a rural Mexican town say they have been overrun by immigrants in recent years, and that the crush serves as a preview of what some American cities will soon face.
Thousands of migrants are arriving in Tapachula, in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, from Central America, Haiti, Cuba and Venezuela on their way to the United States, a local coffee trade businessman recently told The Post.
The influx has overwhelmed residents who have worked in local fields for generations but now face increased competition for jobs and housing as immigrants use their city as a stopover.
Locals are also battling the presence of drug dealers and people attracted to the area to take advantage of the newly arrived desperate masses.
“The city is almost unrecognizable for a few years,” said the coffee sector businessman. “It’s just waves of people. The locals don’t know what to think. The place they have lived in for so long is suddenly totally different.”
Migrants line up in front of a checkpoint waiting for their documentation to be reviewed in Tapachula, in the Mexican state of Chiapas, on September 12, 2023.Juan Manuel Blanco/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock A caravan of migrants walks along a road in Tapachula on its way to the US-Mexico border on October 31, 2023.AFP via Getty Images
Tapachula’s problem is an indicator of what things will be like in more and more American cities, residents added. Just last week, 3,000 immigrants who gathered in the city left on foot for the border with the United States.
City locals say that while immigrants live in their area, long-time residents who dutifully obtain permits to sell modest goods on the street and in area markets are forced to compete with newcomers who do not they bother with such legal formalities and displace them.
Increased competition is making it harder for Mexicans to survive their already meager existence, forcing them to seek other means of income in difficult economic circumstances, residents said.
The flood of newcomers to Tapachula has driven up housing costs, residents complain.REUTERS A large wooden doll called “Little Amal” from an art project titled “The Walk” depicts a 10-year-old Syrian girl who He has become a global figure. symbol of refugee rights.ZUMAPRESS.com Migrants take to the streets of Tapachula as police officers watch during a demonstration for rights on October 26, 2023.Juan Manuel Blanco/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The flood of newcomers has also driven up the cost of local housing, from small rooms to apartments. With the growing demand for living space, landlords can charge more, making it challenging for Mexicans to get a roof over their heads, locals complain.
Other city residents said simmering tensions over these issues, as well as cultural clashes, are beginning to worsen as the streets become clogged with growing numbers of immigrants waiting for a chance to reach the United States.
The Tapachulanos, most of whom come from indigenous ancestry, are a traditionally modest people and are reluctant to voice their concerns in the face of waves of immigrants arriving in the city, observers said.
But the concentration of migrants has also attracted the attention of human traffickers and drug cartels, who see potential profits in the desperate crowds.
Hundreds of migrants wait for their documents to be reviewed at the Tapachula Ecopark on October 23, 2023.Juan Manuel Blanco/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock The concentration of migrants in Tapachula has also attracted the attention of human traffickers and cartels of the drug, which both see possible profits in the desperate crowds.AFP via Getty Images Migrants who did not receive temporary transit documents to move to rest at a sports complex in Huixtla, Mexico, just north of Tapachula, on Wednesday 1 November 2023.AP Tapachula officials — both border control agents and police — are overwhelmed by the high volume of new arrivals and are not equipped to handle their complaints.REUTERS
The presence of the cartels has made it difficult for locals to conduct basic businesses and has many concerned for their own safety as the crisis continues, residents said.
Local officials, both border control agents and police, are overwhelmed by the large volume of new arrivals and are not equipped to handle their complaints, residents said.
Disputes often arise in local markets, with some migrants complaining about the prices or availability of certain goods.
Migrants waiting for their temporary transit documents in Tapachula relax as they head to the U.S.-Mexico border on Nov. 1, 2023.AP
Frightened locals feel intimidated and are unwilling to fight back, sources said.
“A lot of these people are desperate and want to work and get better,” one source said of the immigrants. “But it’s having a real impact on people here who are already struggling.”
Last week, a caravan of about 3,000 migrants left Tapachula for the United States and ended up blocking a highway to demand a faster and safer route to Mexico’s northern border.
One of the organizers of the blockade, activist Irineo Mújica, defended the measure, arguing that migrants live in fear of being taken advantage of by extortionists and other criminal elements.
“We know that we are causing discomfort to Mexicans and we apologize,” he said. “But the drug cartels are kidnapping us and killing us.”
with AP
Categories: Trending
Source: vtt.edu.vn