Kaylee Greenlee
- Some migrants who spoke with the Daily Caller News Foundation said they left their homes because of death threats and natural disasters that destroyed their livelihood.
- “The truth is what motivated us to leave was the lack of safety and the economy was very bad,” Javier told the DCNF. He added that he wasn’t motivated by President Joe Biden’s election, but is “looking for more safety for our kids. We want the best for our kids.”
- Other migrants said they were motivated by the change in administration because former President Donald Trump was “racist” and President Joe Biden offers more opportunities to the migrants.
Some migrants who spoke to the DCNF said they were motivated to come to the U.S. by the Biden administration, while others cited death threats from “narcos” and disaster in their home countries.
“Suddenly, the situations during the previous years weren’t like this one. This year was much more difficult,” a Honduran migrant named Javier told the DCNF after illegally crossing into the U.S. near the Hidalgo Point of Entry early Tuesday morning.
Javier said increasing “crime and a lot of insecurity” including “extortions and death threats from the cartels” motivated him to leave Honduras. He said it took him a little over a month to reach the U.S.
“The truth is, what motivated us to leave was the lack of safety and the economy was also very bad,” Javier told the DCNF. He added that he wasn’t motivated by President Joe Biden’s election, but is “looking for more safety for our kids. We want the best for our kids.”
Another Honduran man traveling with Javier’s group said the Biden administration did not motivate him “at all.”
Some migrants who spoke to the DCNF shortly after illegally entering the U.S. near La Joya, Texas, on Saturday night said they have a “very good” impression of American politics and that the Biden administration “helps the migrants.” One person described Biden as the “best [president] there’s ever been.”
One man from Honduras said they decided to come now “because last year there was a president that was, like, racist and didn’t like the Latinos and this president is neutral and wants everyone.”
The group, all traveling from Honduras, told the DCNF they plan on voting in U.S. elections if they get the chance. Another man from Honduras said he didn’t think the Biden administration invited migrants to come now but sent a message that “that they would have the opportunity to work and study.”
An Ecuadorian man said he was mainly motivated by death threats from narcos, who he said “will find you in the nursery” or daycare where you leave your children. He was partly motivated by the change in administration, though he didn’t give a specific reason why.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials rerecorded a record high of 213,000 encounters with migrants at the southern border in July, according to the agency. The month of July saw record numbers of unaccompanied children totaling more than 18,900 and just under 83,000 family units.
“Many people are coming due to necessity, but not all of them. Lots of people are seeing that it’s easier to cross,” Luis Montesino, 60, of McAllen, Texas, told the DCNF Saturday morning while waiting to pick up a friend from the temporary shelter holding COVID-19 positive migrants in Mission, Texas. “Many people are hearing that the border is open so they’re taking advantage to come here. And they’re doing it. It’s happening due to the number of people per day.”
In terms of politics in this situation, I think Trump was very strict, very hard. He was completely different,” Montesino added. “President Biden is more flexible, he’s giving more opportunities.”
Of the migrants encountered in July, over 80,000 were apprehended in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, where La Joya and Hidalgo are located, according to CBP. Around 42,000 of the total number of migrants encountered in July were from Honduras and about 12,000 were from El Salvador.
Juan Mendoza contributed to this report.
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Bullshit u illegals can’t vote u imbeciles are not legal U.S citizens!!! U illegals will be deported back!!!