Escaping extortion, kidnap and gangs: the desperate plight of migrants at the US-Mexico border

Predictions of immediate chaos and catastrophe at the border did not materialise – at least, not in the way described or imagined, write Arelis R Hernandez and Danielle Villasana

Migrants go back across the Rio Grande at Ciudad Juárez on 13 May after Texas National Guard members tell them to leave the spot where they had gathered under the Ysleta-Zaragoza Bridge at El Paso in hopes of surrendering themselves to seek asylum in the United States (Danielle Villasana/The Washington Post)

The night after the US pandemic-era expulsion order expired, the southwest border grew quiet. This was the perfect opportunity, Gerber Callejas reasoned, to grab his wife, young son and the few belongings they possessed after fleeing El Salvador and walk across the international bridge to ask for asylum.

Callejas had prayed for the end of Title 42 restrictions, which denied most migrants the opportunity to make claims for protection. He had tried to book an appointment with immigration officials through the new US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) app, but it repeatedly spat out error messages. For nearly six months, Callejas’s family had languished in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, while waiting for a chance to enter the United States.

When the family reached the US entry point, officials prioritised the nearly 100 people in line with appointments. But the family was determined to wait. The night grew long and temperatures dipped. Mexican officials began urging them to leave. They refused.