Mexican immigration authorities say 424 migrants from African countries arrived at the southern state of Chiapas over two days last week.
The National Immigration Institute said Tuesday that it has issued them 20-day transit visas that will allow the migrants to reach the U.S.-Mexico border, where they plan to request asylum.
Officials call it an unusual surge and say most of the migrants first went to Brazil or Ecuador to start their journey through Latin America.
Most of the Africans presented themselves voluntarily to immigration officials in the Chiapas town of Tapachula. They did not specify their nationalities.
Immigration support staff in Tijuana has been aiding migrants from the Congo, Somalia and Ghana to arrive at the U.S. port of entry at San Isidro.
It takes time to develop the infrastructure for migration. There's a reliable smuggling network to the border. The network for migrants from outside the hemisphere is still developing, but once it's in place, the process will explode tremendously.Border Patrol Union Claims Mexican Military Shot Agents
December 1, 2016
The local Border Patrol Union said the shooting of two law enforcement officials near the river in Starr County was intentional.
A DPS trooper and a U.S. Border Patrol agent were shot last Friday in Fronton. Authorities reported Mexican law enforcement or military were involved in a shootout with gunmen across the Rio Grande that day.
The FBI and the Texas Rangers are leading the investigation. They said both of the agents are recovering well.
However, the Border Patrol union said more needs to be done to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
Border Patrol Union vice president Chris Barrera represents Border Patrol agents who are not allowed to speak to the media. He said the agent and the DPS trooper were targeted by Mexican authorities.
“When two people get shot in the torso at over 250 yards away, that’s not an accident. That’s deliberate, well-aimed, well-trained shooting,” he said.
Border Patrol Deputy Chief Raul Ortiz said the FBI and DPS will determine exactly what happened that day. He said he’s just glad no one was seriously hurt.
“I think a lot of that information is going to unfold as the investigation continues,” he said.
Authorities said a ballistics vest saved the Border Patrol agent from serious harm.
Cabrera said some agents have to share armor; much of it across the sector is outdated. He said more agents need to have one of their own.
However, Ortiz said all agents are assigned vests and are encouraged to wear them every day. He said agents also have additional equipment available to them.
“What we have done to ensure that our agents are prepared in all our areas is we have what we call war riders,” he said. “In the simplest terms, it provides additional equipment that the agents can utilize in a high threat situation.”
Cabrera said even though the incident wasn’t fatal, it shouldn’t be taken lightly.
“Had this been the reverse scenario, somebody shooting into Mexico, Mexico would be having a fit right now,” he said.
Cabrera said someone should be held accountable for an incident that could have been much worse.
Ortiz said Border Patrol sent more equipment to agents in Starr County. He said special operations groups will also work in the area.