Spurred by Rumor, Hundreds of Migrants Mass at US Border in Mexico’s Ciudad Juarez

Reuters

12:53 JST, August 9, 2023

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (Reuters) – Hundreds of migrants gathered alongside the U.S. border in the northern Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez late on Monday, after false rumors spread via social media and word-of-mouth that the U.S. would allow entry to a mass group.

Some said they had been waiting weeks to secure appointments to request asylum via a U.S. mobile app called CBP One, and were eager to try their luck at the border itself.

About 1,000 people clustered around the border just opposite the Texas city of El Paso – some peering through the slats of the border wall while others sat alongside an industrial train line headed to the United States.

Officers from Customs and Border Protection uncoiled razor wire across the railway gate.

“You can just see how many people want to pass … for our families, for our future,” said Venezuelan migrant Johan Ramirez. “We’ve spent many days here. Our money is running out, we’re sleeping in the streets.”