Migrants in Mexican 'Open-Air Prison' City Sew Mouths Shut in Protest
NewsweekDec 27, 2021
Migrants Sew Mouths Shut to Protest Mexican Immigration Policy
Image copyright: Reuters/Jose Torres [via Fox]
The Facts
A dozen migrants in the southern Mexican border city of Tapachula sewed their mouths shut and began a hunger strike on Tuesday to draw attention from the govt. and demand passage to the US border.
The undocumented migrants are mostly from Central and South America, and Haiti.
The Spin
Narrative A
The US is to blame for this. Backwards immigration policies, iniated by Trump and continued by Biden, are trapping migrants in open-air prisons. If the States resumed the processing of migrants at US borders, it could alleviate conditions for asylum seekers.
Narrative B
Mexico is to blame for this. The migration problem isn't going away anytime soon. Mexico has a responsibility -- and the capacity -- to help those escaping economic and social hardship; they must go beyond offering only asylum and grant migrants legal status and employment options.
Narrative C
The blame cannot be pinned entirely on either country. The protests are prompted by a widespread desire to settle in the States rather than other nations. Many migrants travelling to the southern border walk through multiple countries to reach their preferred asylum destination.