Some Venezuelan {couples} separated beneath new U.S.-Mexico migrant coverage By Reuters

By Daina Beth Solomon and Jose Luis Gonzalez

MEXICO CITY/CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (Reuters) – A brand new U.S.-Mexico border coverage geared at deterring Venezuelans fleeing hardship of their house nation from coming into the USA illegally has separated some households, migrants stated on Friday, with a number of girls identified to have been despatched again to Mexico as their husbands stayed on in the USA.

The separations of a minimum of three married {couples}, in addition to a mom returned with out her 20-year-old son, occurred throughout a few of the first expulsions of Venezuelans from the USA again to Mexico beneath the coverage introduced by officers from the 2 international locations on Wednesday.

Underneath the coverage, as much as 24,000 Venezuelans might apply for humanitarian entry into the USA by air. U.S. authorities have stated they’ll flip again Venezuelans who try and enter on the land border.

    About 200 Venezuelans who had crossed by land into the USA have been expelled on Thursday to Mexico’s Ciudad Juarez, in accordance with the Jesuit Migrant Companies rights group. U.S. officers informed Reuters that 300 had been expelled border-wide from the USA the day earlier than.

Earlier than Wednesday, Venezuelans who crossed illegally into the USA, many in search of U.S. asylum, have been usually allowed to remain as a result of it was troublesome to ship them again to Venezuela or Mexico.

“I’m alone in a rustic the place I’ve nobody to assist me,” stated Angelica Ramirez, who had traveled for 2 months together with her husband earlier than coming into the Texas border metropolis of El Paso on Monday.

Ramirez stated her husband was allowed to remain in the USA whereas she was despatched again on Thursday, a transfer she referred to as “inexplicable.”

“He was my solely companion, my solely assist, my solely assist,” Ramirez stated, combating again tears in an interview close to the border wall in Ciudad Juarez, considering the way to return to Venezuela with out cash or a cellphone.

Ramirez stated her two sons, ages 2 and eight, stay in Venezuela.

Venezuelans by the hundreds of thousands have left the South American nation lately, fleeing corruption, financial hardship and political upheaval. These trekking over land towards the USA have an arduous route by means of Central America after which into Mexico.

Gretchen Kuhner, director of an advocacy group for feminine migrants in Mexico, stated the present scenario on the U.S.-Mexico border is chaotic.

Quite a few advocacy teams have stated they’re disillusioned by the modifications beneath the brand new coverage that they are saying differentiate unfairly primarily based on nationality and increase using a U.S. expulsion order that limits asylum entry.

Luis Cazorla, 27, stated he reached the El Paso border wall on Monday along with his spouse Katherine Carantona, 29.

As soon as in U.S. detention, they have been separated and misplaced contact for 2 days, he stated. Once they spoke once more, he had been granted entry to the USA, and stated he was shocked to listen to she had been despatched again to Mexico.

“They separated us so unfairly,” Cazorla stated.

The U.S. Division of Homeland Safety (DHS) didn’t instantly reply to questions concerning the separated Venezuelans. U.S. border brokers don’t deal with {couples} and oldsters with grownup kids as “household items,” so it’s potential for these folks to be processed individually.

Greater than 150,000 Venezuelans have been caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border this yr, in accordance with U.S. authorities information, a pointy rise that has strained American sources on the border and in receiving cities.

A number of the Venezuelans despatched to Mexico urged fellow migrants to remain the place they’re to keep away from the identical final result, whilst a caravan of tons of of individuals set off from southern Mexico early on Friday.