UNHCR warns of humanitarian situation on the US-Mexico border
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported on the humanitarian situation of refugees and migrants arriving in Mexico, especially at the northern border, most of them with the aim of crossing into the United States.
At a press conference in Geneva, the agency expressed its concern through its spokesman, William Spindler, who pointed out that in this border area "the capacity to receive and provide assistance to refugees and migrants has been exceeded for months".
"The humanitarian situation on the Mexican side of the US-Mexico border remains dire," he stressed.
Spindler explained that families with young children arrive distressed and disoriented, shelters are almost always overcrowded, and many people remain in tents and informal camps set up around shelters but outside them, exposing them to all kinds of risks.
In addition, he said that many of the people arriving at the border do not have access to the information they need to decide on their options.
Urgent needs
According to the Mexican government, the last month has seen an increase in the flow of migrants into the country and these people are often transported in unsafe, accident-prone vehicles, sometimes on irregular and dangerous routes.
UNHCR stressed the urgent need to provide migrants and refugees arriving in northern Mexico with information services, legal support, medical care, food assistance, and sufficient and adequately equipped shelters.
They also need to be provided with security, mental health services and psychological support, the agency said.
Seeking asylum is a human right
Referring to the United States, the spokesperson recalled that access to safe territory for asylum seekers is a cornerstone of the 1951 Refugee Convention and refugee law, adding that governments must respect this international instrument to protect the rights and lives of refugees.
"Seeking asylum is a human right," Spindler emphasised.
The spokesperson added that effective reception and processing systems at borders, including the southern border of the United States, are feasible and necessary to restore order, humanity and fairness.
Finally, he endorsed UNHCR's willingness to work with the US authorities, as well as those of other countries, to continue to seek safe pathways for asylum seekers to follow and to bring all border and asylum policies and measures into compliance with international refugee and human rights law.