Thousands of African migrants are attempting to cross through Mexico with hopes to enter into the United States via the southern border before President-Elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Along with migrants from Central America, Africans are now flooding into the Mexican region of Tapachula, which borders Guatemala, in an effort to eventually reach the United States, according to Reuters.
In 2013, immigration officials in Tapachula said they would see roughly six African migrants come through the region a day. In 2017, African migrants are coming by the hundreds daily, with an estimated 19,000 Haitians and Africans arriving in 2016 alone.
Reuters reports that African migrants are difficult to detain or deport by Mexican officials, as the country does not have diplomatic ties with some African nations. Previous Breitbart Texas reporting found that Mexican officials actively aid African migrants in their journey north.
International Organization for Migration in Tapachula director Claudette Walls says the influx is due to economic hardships in Brazil and an international migrant crisis, in addition to Trump’s November victory.
Trump has reiterated his proposals, most recently, to close the southern border with a wall, as well as cracking down on criminal illegal immigrants living in the country who have yet to be deported.
With those prospects, migrants are trying to gain access into the U.S. to “reunite with relatives,” according to Reuters, before Trump takes the oath of office.
Breitbart Texas reported back in September 2016 how African migrants, specifically from Al-Shabaab terror hotbed Somalia were being helped across Mexico via special permits that allow them to continue to the U.S. unimpeded.
When African migrants are detained by Mexican officials, they are given a 20-day pass, which allows them to freely move throughout the country, eventually into the United States.
John Binder is a contributor for Breitbart Texas. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.
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