Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Immigrant families eat soup while at a humanitarian aid camp next to the U.S.-Mexico border on January 19, 2025 near Sasabe, Arizona. Immigrant families and single adult males from numerous countries had passed through a gap in the Trump-built border fence after being delivered by smugglers to the remote border area in the Sonora Desert. John Moore/Getty Images/AFP

Article (news)

Crossings

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1737418856262Screen Shot 2025-01-21 at 8.19.36 AM.png" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Immigrant families eat soup while at a humanitarian aid camp next to the U.S.-Mexico border on January 19, 2025 near Sasabe, Arizona. Immigrant families and single adult males from numerous countries had passed through a gap in the Trump-built border fence after being delivered by smugglers to the remote border area in the Sonora Desert. John Moore/Getty Images/AFP </span></span></span></div><p>CIUDAD JUÁREZ, Mexico — Margelis Tinoco broke down in tears after her asylum appointment was canceled as part of a sweeping immigration crackdown announced by US President Donald Trump on his first day in office.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/1/20/trade-wars-culture-wars-and-anti-immigration-trump-s-big-promises-1536">Trade wars, culture wars, and anti-immigration: Trump&#x27;s big promises</a></div><p>&quot;I don&#x27;t know what will become of my life anymore,&quot; said the 48-year-old Colombian, who made the long and dangerous journey from South America with her husband and son.</p><p>Trump began his second term in office with a series of announcements intended to drastically reduce the number of migrants entering the United States.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/1/20/trump-to-end-diversity-programs-define-2-genders-incoming-official-0031">Trump says &#x27;only two genders&#x27;, will end diversity programs</a></div><p>He vowed to declare a national emergency at the border with Mexico, immediately halt &quot;all illegal entry&quot; and begin the process of deporting &quot;millions and millions of criminal aliens.&quot;</p><p>Minutes after he was sworn in, an app introduced by his predecessor Joe Biden to help process claims for entering the United States went offline.</p><p>&quot;Look what it says,&quot; Tinoco said, pointing to a message on her cellphone screen informing users of CBP One that existing appointments had been canceled.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/1/20/trump-to-declare-national-emergency-use-military-at-mexico-border-aide-0058">Trump says to declare national emergency, use military at Mexico border</a></div><p>&quot;Have compassion and let us cross,&quot; she pleaded, saying that she had endured &quot;six months of suffering&quot; after leaving Venezuela where she had been living with her family.</p><p>Yaime Perez, a 27-year-old Cuban, also made an emotional appeal to Trump.</p><p>&quot;Since we are here, please let us in, please, after all the work we have put in to get here, let us enter your country, so that we can better ourselves in life and be somebody,&quot; she said.</p><p>Antony Herrera arrived at the border with his wife and three children after a long journey from their native Venezuela only to discover that their appointment had been canceled.</p><p>&quot;We don&#x27;t know what is going to happen,&quot; said the 31-year-old, one of millions of people who have left crisis-hit Venezuela, where President Nicolas Maduro was inaugurated this month for a third term after a disputed election victory.</p><div><strong>CARAVAN HEADS FOR BORDER</strong></div><p>During his first term in the White House from 2017 to 2021, Trump put heavy pressure on Mexico to turn back a tide of migrants from Central America.</p><p>On Monday, he quickly moved to reinstate the &quot;Remain in Mexico&quot; policy that prevailed under his last administration.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/1/20/pope-francis-says-trump-s-immigration-raids-would-be-a-disgrace-0844">Pope Francis says Trump&#x27;s immigration raids would be a &#x27;disgrace&#x27;</a></div><p>Under that rule, people who applied to enter the United States at the Mexican border were not allowed to enter the country until their application had been decided.</p><p>Mexico agreed during Trump&#x27;s first term to receive deportees from other countries in exchange for the Republican withdrawing his tariff threats.</p><p>It is unclear if the current Mexican government would do the same this time round.</p><p>President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday that Mexico would receive its own deported nationals, without mentioning how it would proceed with other foreigners expelled from the United States.</p><p>Congratulating Trump on his inauguration, she called for &quot;dialogue, respect and cooperation&quot; between the closely connected neighbors.</p><p>In southern Mexico, hundreds of US-bound migrants ignored Trump&#x27;s warnings and set off on foot from near the border with Guatemala.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/1/20/trump-pledges-golden-age-on-being-sworn-in-as-us-president-0143">Trump pledges &#x27;golden age&#x27; on being sworn in as US president</a></div><p>The caravans are a way for migrants to pressure the Mexican authorities to issue permits allowing them to transit through the country without being detained.</p><p>&quot;I&#x27;m a little scared because with everything we&#x27;ve been through, everything we&#x27;ve fought for, with all the sacrifices we&#x27;ve made, it&#x27;s very hard to have the doors closed on us and not be able to cross,&quot; said Jefferzon Celedon, a 24-year-old Venezuelan.</p><p>Despite the gloomy mood, fellow Venezuelan Leonel Delgado said he was still determined to reach the Mexican-US border.</p><p>&quot;We have to keep going and not be swayed by what people say, whether they close it or not. We will see when we arrive,&quot; the 42-year-old said.</p><div><strong>— By Herika Martinez with Zina Desmazes in Tijuana, Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/k4lW4MccGy8?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Trump began his second term in office with a series of announcements intended to drastically reduce the number of migrants entering the United States.</p>

Trump began his second term in office with a series of announcements intended to drastically reduce the number of migrants entering the United States.

'Please let us in': Trump crackdown leaves migrants in tears

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'Please let us in': Trump crackdown leaves migrants in tears

Agence France-Presse

Published Jan 21, 2025 08:58 AM PHT

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Agence France-Presse

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