Version imprimableIn a desperate attempt to cross the border, the migrants had boarded a truck without air conditioning and water in the sweltering Texas heat. Sixteen other people, including four children, were taken to hospital after suffering from heat stroke and exhaustion.
Democratic politician – and Texas gubernatorial candidate – Beto O’Rourke called for action to “dismantle human trafficking networks.” But the blood is on the hands of the US state and its border controls. The number of people trying to cross the border irregularly this year reached the highest level in more than a decade. Border forces said in March that they expected a figure of 18,000 migrants a day.
As more migrants risk their lives to travel to the United States, opportunities to cross the border safely are virtually non-existent. Despite the promises made by President Joe Biden during his election campaign, immigration policy has changed little since Donald Trump’s presidency.
The public health order known as Title 42, which the Trump administration first used to deport migrants, is still in effect. This order returns migrants without the possibility of seeking asylum. Often, this leads them to make repeated attempts to cross the border.
During Biden’s presidency, this policy turned away at least a million people. The political director of the American Immigration Council, Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, said such policies only lead to tragedies. “With the border shut as tightly as it is today for migrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, people have been pushed into more and more dangerous routes.” he posted on Twitter.
Last September, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported 557 deaths in one year at the southwest border alone, including Texas. And the actual number is probably even higher. U.S. border controls kill hundreds, if not thousands, of people a year. The horror faced by refugees and migrants in Texas is repeated around the world.
Angry protests took place after Moroccan security forces, working with Spain’s national police and civil guard, massacred at least thirty-seven people in Melilla, North Africa. [1] In Britain, the Tories continue to promote their murderous plan to send refugees to Rwanda.
On 19 July, Care4Calais and the PCS union will be in court to fight against the illegality of the British deportation plan to Rwanda. The battle within the courts must be demonstrations of anger outside. Border controls kill. No thanks.
6 July 2022
Translated by International Viewpoint from l’Anticapitaliste.
