Spurred by rumors, hundreds of migrants gathered at the U.S. border in the northern Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez late on Monday.
False rumors spread via social media and word-of-mouth that the U.S. would allow entry to a mass group spurred the gathering, 7 Reuters reported.
Following the expiration in May of a pandemic-era border restriction, the number of migrants trying to enter the United States has dropped 70 percent, according to U.S. border officials.
Members of the Texas National Guard stand guard at the border, as migrants gather with the intention to request asylum in the United States, after rumors spread that it would allow them to enter the U.S., according to local media, Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, August 7, 2023. /Reuters
Some migrants said they had been waiting weeks to secure appointments to request asylum via a U.S. mobile app called CBP One, and were eager to try their luck at the border itself.
About 1,000 people clustered around the border just opposite the Texas city of El Paso – some peering through the slats of the border wall while others sat alongside an industrial train line headed to the United States.
Officers from Customs and Border Protection uncoiled razor wire across the railway gate.
"You can just see how many people want to pass ... for our families, for our future," said Venezuelan migrant Johan Ramirez. "We've spent many days here. Our money is running out, we're sleeping in the streets."
(With input from agencies)
(Cover: Migrants stand near the border wall to request asylum in the United States after rumors spread that it would allow them to enter the United States, according to local media, Ciudad Juarez, Mexico August 7, 2023. /Reuters)