JUAREZ, MEXICO Its mid-June, and Yoemar has lost his shoes.
Hes running in wet, muddy socks up the riverbank now.
He has a friend with him, Luis, also from Venezuela.
U.S. Border Patrol agents gather a group of Colombian asylum-seekers after they crossed over from Mexico on September 22, 2024 near Jacumba Hot Springs, California.John Moore/Getty Images
A small white drone buzzes overhead and the men break off into a sprint again.
On Luis lower back, two large red bumps form where rubber bullets ricocheted off his skin.
Theyre at the U.S.-Mexicoborderin Juarez and theyve just met theTexasNational Guard.
Eagle Pass quickly became a photo-op for Republican politicians and fervent supporters of a hard-right, anti-immigrant agenda.
The hot political climate has fundamentally changed how asylum-seekers cross the border.
Why didnt you settle in Colombia?
And in Costa Rica?
And in Honduras?…
Then, everything began to change.
In 2023,60 percentof migrants coming to the U.S. crossed the border into Texas.
They have one instruction: Do not allow anybody to enter into the state of Texas.
He was breathing, but no ambulance came, Contreras says.
But the unidentified Honduran man may not have been an anomaly.
If the Border Patrol isnt there, they treat you badly.
Governor Abbotts political stunts are cruel, inhumane, and dangerous, the White House said in a statement.
Demand for more clandestine ways to pass through Mexico without encountering Mexican officials skyrocketed.
Youre always tightening, always predicting… the best recipe is to not see anything, he says.
This action will help us to gain control of our border, restore order to the process.
Bidens about-face mirrored dozens of other powerful Democrats.
Since June, the number of people crossing the border at gates hasdropped by nearly 50 percent.
Its not a first-come-first-serve system some have already been waiting over a year to secure an appointment.
Like most migrants, she does not have official paperwork to live or work in Mexico.
I keep thinking migration agents will be everywhere, she says.
But how long will they have to wait?
What are we going to do with all of these people?
The government, it just sits there and throws the ball, he said.
Experts like Sanchez dont expect Vice PresidentKamala Harristo safeguard the wellbeing of asylum-seekers.
Harris visited the border in Arizona on Friday to tout the border legislation.
Those who cross our borders unlawfully will be apprehended and removed and barred from reentering for five years.
I hope I get an appointment, he says.
