Thousands of undocumented migrants who hope to gain asylum in the United States now find themselves stuck in Mexico, as U.S. President Donald Trump's migrant deportation campaign ramps up.
The Hope Center is a shelter for migrants in the Mexican border city of Juarez. Located near the border wall that separates Juarez from El Paso, Texas, the old house has accommodated thousands of undocumented people hoping to cross into the U.S. for the last two years.
Currently, around 60 people are living in the house. Most of them are from Venezuela, some are from Central America, a few were recently deported from the U.S., and at least one was days away from getting a long-awaited U.S. asylum case interview.
Some of the migrants staying in the Hope Center are traveling with small children.
"The number is around thirty thousand, which is really a huge number. They come here, and usually rest for two or three days, getting their thoughts straight. They stay in this place and then take the next step," said Jose Ricardo Medina, who has been managing the facility since it opened over two years ago.
During his campaign, Trump promised to carry out large-scale deportations of illegal immigrants once he took office. After his inauguration on Jan 20, deportation operations have ramped up in several parts of the United States, reportedly focusing on criminals.
All the migrants in the shelter know of Trump's deportation policies, which are forcing them to rethink their plans of trying to enter the U.S. with no immigration papers.
Antonio Quintanilla, a 25-year-old who migrated one year ago to Mexico from a poor town in Honduras, hopes to find a good paying job and earn an honest living in the U.S. But the current situation has changed his life plan radically.
"Definitely, it's been quite unnerving and creates a sense of helplessness. All of us here have this feeling of helplessness. What are we going to do? How can we fix it?" Quintanilla said.
On the fact that Trump labels all undocumented migrants as criminal invaders, Quintanilla said most migrants are honest and hard-working people.
"We are not invaders. We are like any human, even like him. We have flesh and blood. And we were all created the same way," he said.
Undocumented migrants waiting to cross into U.S. now stuck in Mexican border towns
Undocumented migrants waiting to cross into U.S. now stuck in Mexican border towns
