Keep Out! How the U.S. Is Militarizing Mexicos Southern Border
by Jeff Abbott
October 2, 2017
A group of people cross the Suchiate River from Guatemala to Mexico in August 2014. This has been a popular crossing point for migrants heading north. Photo by the author.
Marvin Garcia looks out over the Suchiate River from the Guatemalan side of Mexicos southern border. For twenty-one years, he has ferried numerous people across this river who were making their way to the United States. But the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States has changed that.
In past years, there were many people crossing the river to migrate northwards, Garcia, forty-four, told me. But now with the politics in the United States, and the number of people being deported, the number has drastically declined here.
An elderly man, who declined to give his name, added, But we know that people are still going because we see them being deported in buses.
. . .
As a result of the politics of Trump, there is a very significant decrease in the number of migrants heading north, said Enrique Vidal Olascoaga, an analyst with the San Cristóbal de las Casas-based human rights organization Voces Mesoamericanas. But there is a significant increase in the violence and brutality against migrants. There are fewer migrants, but greater violence against them.
More:
http://progressive.org/magazine/keep-out-jeff-abbott-by-jeff-abbott-how-the-u-s-is-militariz/