Fake news leads migrants to turn themselves in to the US Border Patrol

Nearly a thousand migrants crossed the border illegally before turning themselves in to US Customs and Border Protection agents on Wednesday afternoon.

Many migrants, frustrated after the tragic events at the National Migration Institute and motivated by false news, relied on an unrealistic hope. The information, disseminated on social networks, mentioned a supposed possibility of remaining in the United States if the migrants crossed a specific border bridge.

Eduardo García, a Venezuelan migrant, said: “The moment caused emotion. Many tried to do it. It really is not recommended because we have to do things the legal way.”

Border Patrol chief Anthony Scott Good said the nearly 1,000 migrants were detained on US soil and will soon be expelled. The United States consulate issued a clarification: “The rumors about the opening of the border after the tragedy in Ciudad Juárez are completely false. Law enforcement policies and security measures to restrict undocumented access to the US remain in place. The border is closed to irregular immigration!”

Community leaders say that when people wait months to apply for asylum and the doors remain closed, it breeds desperation. A feeling that is easy to manipulate, according to Father Javier Calvillo, director of the Casa del Migrante: “I think there must be reasons for these manipulations. There are leaders, there are people below who move these things.”

On March 12, hundreds of migrants attempted a mass entry and ran across the Paso Del Norte Bridge into downtown El Paso, also following a false rumor posted on social media.

In particular, according to local activists in Ciudad Juárez, these false news and rumors are often circulated by smugglers and coyotes who hope, once the migrant discovers the truth, to convince them to give them a lot of money for an illegal, sometimes deadly journey. , in United States.