A day after Angie Pina was expelled from the U.S. to Mexico underneath a new rule from President Biden for Venezuelan asylum-seekers, The Put up witnessed as she illegally crossed again into America once more Saturday.
Pina claims she first stepped foot on US soil on Wednesday morning, earlier than President Biden introduced Mexico had agreed to take Venezuelans in search of asylum who had been rejected from the US.
In hopes of discouraging unlawful crossings on the border, the Biden Administration introduced it can grant 24,000 Venezuelans humanitarian entry in the event that they apply on-line and arrive by way of air — quite by crossing the land border as lots of of hundreds have been doing, with El Paso alone recording up to 2,100 migrants in a single day.
Pina was held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in El Paso for a day and a half earlier than she discovered she and dozens of different Venezuelan girls in the identical holding cell could be sent back to Mexico.
“It was a disaster — we have been all yelling and sobbing,” she mentioned.
“One girl led us all in prayer, however that’s when actuality set in. They by no means informed us why we have been being despatched again however some Venezuelan males who crossed behind us received to remain.”
Friday, Pina was escorted throughout one among El Paso’s worldwide bridges and launched into Mexico, the place a brand new world of uncertainty awaited.
“I’m a lesbian; I’ve one month attempting to get right here and I’m afraid,” the 33-year-old mentioned. “I’ve gone by a lot to get right here. I’m broke. I attempt to elevate my head up, however I really feel like I’m dropping energy to go on. I really feel like I would as effectively step in entrance of a automobile.”
Pina and different expelled Venezuelans stood outdoors a Mexican immigration middle the place they obtain fundamental companies — like a spot to bathe and cost their telephones. Early Saturday morning, she informed The Put up she was contemplating attempting to cross the border once more.
“I want to attempt once more as a result of I can’t return to Venezuela,” she defined, including that she is an engineer in her homeland.
“I don’t have cash to return. I left as a result of I’ve a three-year-old daughter I used to be unable to offer for as a result of I used to be consistently discriminated in opposition to due to my sexual orientation.”
Different Venezuelans agreed that they too would attempt to get again into the US, even when that meant turning to harmful people-smuggling cartels.
“In the event that they don’t permits us again in, we’ll return in — legally or illegally,” mentioned one other immigrant.
“Nobody goes to return. There’s hundreds of Venezuelans on their means proper now. They’re not going again.”
“I requested the Mexicans to deport me to Venezuela they usually informed me they couldn’t, so what are we presupposed to do?” Requested Pina.
Expelled Venezuelans gathered in Juarez, Mexico mentioned they’d been left penniless by their journeys and couldn’t pay their means again to their nation of origin.
By midday, Pina, her associate, and one other Venezuelan girl determined to attempt their luck once more and walked over the Rio Grande to El Paso, the place they once more surrendered themselves to a Border Patrol agent.
She was then taken to one other holding cell the place she would discover out her destiny — which was most certainly to be deported once more.
