Encounters with migrants at U.S.-Mexico border remain near record highs.
Some of the biggest increases in recent-border-encounters have involved people from Colombia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Peru & Venezuela.
People just pick up and leave their home countries just to arrive at America's borders seeking access to government handouts. That's an extreme simplistic view of these countries problems, actually causing increased flight from their homelands.
- Nicaragua: democracy is crumbling. It’s been a long time coming. Nicaragua’s already fragile democracy is quickly backsliding into a dictatorship. President Daniel Ortega has been spending-using his control of the undisputed-abusive-power of the country’s police and courts to crack down on his political opposition with brutal efficiency. This is the product of fear and terror that Daniel Ortega has engaged in the face of transparent, competitive free-elections, Nicaragua's people are desperate and afraid, seeking refuge-shelter in their neighboring-country-America.
- Colombia: has been torn apart by conflict for over 40 years. The war that has raged between the Colombian government, guerilla groups such as the FARC and ELN, paramilitaries, and narco-traffickers has cost the lives of an estimated 50,000 – 200,000 people and has displaced millions of others. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there are currently 3.5 million internally displaced persons inside Colombia, while another 500,000 – 750,000 are seeking refuge in neighboring countries. It is the largest displacement crisis in the Western Hemisphere, and constitutes the 7th largest refugee population in the world.
- Peru: political instability is prompting migrants to flock to the U.S. southern border. Peru is dealing with political instability, widespread corruption, the highest inflation since 1998, and protests driving illegal immigration to the U.S.. There’s a high level of distrust with the government, and parents and young people alike see an uncertainty about what their future holds in Peru.
“You can be assaulted and robbed on the street, including lose your life over a cell phone someone wants to steal from you. Crime is on the rise and police don’t have control over it. Sicarios and organized crime are more and more common. Criminals can buy their freedom even if they’re arrested."
“Peru is descending into anarchy. On the face of it, the country has a constitutional government, but really it’s anarchy. No one knows how it’s going to end.”
- Cuba: more Cubans are migrating to the United States. Cubans don’t see a future with the corrupt and inefficient military gerontocracy ruling the country. Profound reforms such as allowing Cubans to own export businesses or to partner with foreign companies are not forthcoming. Low prices for Cuba’s exports, a stifling bureaucracy and continuous repression are making life on the island increasingly unbearable.
The Castro regime has encouraged emigration. It alleviates internal pressure by creating an escape valve which weakens opposition. In addition it eliminates one of the major complaints of Cubans on the island – that they were prohibited from traveling abroad.
Finally, the powerful attraction and help of some two million Cuban-Americans living in the U.S. encourages and facilitates the migration process. Their experience in this country is an attraction for those suffering on the island and longing for a better future.
- Venezuela: Venezuelans propelled to U.S. by crisis, not immigration policy. Venezuela is a unique case of an economic catastrophe. Only country in peacetime able to engineer a decline in GDP of 80%... that compares to a GDP decline of 28% during the Great Depression in the U.S. and a 50% drop in GDP in Germany during World War II.
Economy went into a tailspin because government tried to control society by taking away economic rights. In the middle of the oil boom, the government thought, we have enough money coming from oil, so we don’t need the private sector. In fact, we can expropriate the private sector. We can put all sorts of controls on the private sector and make it obey. Many people decided under those conditions, it was not possible to dream, to plan, to invest, to do things in Venezuela, and people started to leave.
... in ALL these cases, these are not people wanting-desiring to leave-their-homelands just to go on government assistance in the U.S. ... that's GOP-disinformation-propaganda
... economics are the driving-forces propelling them to our borders, and that's NOT-gonna-be-changing anytime-soon ... matter-of-fact, it's all to only to be getting worse
... the U.S. should be watching closely and learn-react from what is happening in all of these countries.. we are not immune to similar circumstances occurring here... we're on the edge now
... here in this country we don't have government wise enough to understand this border issues-crises are only to increase in the very near future... desperate people willing-are to continue taking desperate measures
... Republican-arguments, saying they are all coming-flocking to U.S borders simply to get 'free-social-benefits' is beyond naivete.. another con being perpetrated on the American-people by their leadership
... land has been fought over for all of history... Europeans invading-conquering America... seizing lands having been inhabited by indigenous-peoples for thousands-of-years
... my father Bernard Arias came to America early last century fleeing Fascism in Spain
... majority of these Latin American refugees doing-nothing-wrongfully-different
... America's immigration system in drastic-need-of-overhaul
