Mexico deployed a large police operation to prevent migrants from reaching the Rio Grande through the Texas border strip of the towns of Piedras Negras, Jiménez and Acuña in the state of Coahuila.
“A mega-operation covering Piedras Negras, Jiménez and Acuña is being carried out in coordination by the authorities of heaven and earth of the Action and Reaction Police, the Civil Police of Coahuila, the Criminal Police and the Special Police for Public Safety of the City of Coahuila. This operation is to prevent illegal acts,” reported Wednesday the Facebook profile of reporter Auden B. Cabello, who identifies himself as ABC Media.
Cabello has also posted videos of the military action in Ciudad Acuña on his profile and in one of them he assures that “all accesses to the river are blocked by the civilian police of Coahuila and some other companies”, although in a second video he said that “what as great operation in Ciudad Acuña began, ended with many questions”.
“Where have all the elements gone after the photo? Why did they stop monitoring migrant crossings? you will come back For how long? We will monitor the state operation to see what results it brings. Stay tuned,” he added in that latest post.
The local Mexican medium Zócalo also reported on this operation on the border between the state of Coahuila and Texas.
The report noted that this deployment to Coahuila to enhance border security stems from a historic agreement with neighboring Texas.
The governor of the Mexican state, Miguel Riquelme, also reported on the start of this operation on his Twitter account this Wednesday.
“In Acuña, from Braulio Fernández Park, the Coahuila State Police are launching an operation to reinforce security in the border strip with the state of Texas,” Gov. Riquelme said on Twitter after sharing a video of all forces involved in the operation.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also tweeted about the start of this maneuver, noting that “Coahuila Governor Miguel Riquelme will begin his enhanced border security operations following the signing of our historic accord. We secure both sides of the border.”
This operation began on the eve of the round of talks on migration that the governments of Cuba and the United States will hold this Thursday in Washingtonbetween one of the most tense circumstances of bilateral relations between the two countriesdue to the escalation of sanctions by the Biden administration, following the repression of the 11J protesters on the island and the massive exodus of Cubans onto US territory following this social outburst.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, during the first six months of fiscal year 2022, which began October 1, 2021, at least 78,903 Cubans entered the United States through points on the southern border, and by them 32,141 did last March.
By the number of Cubans arriving in the United States in March, they became the second largest national group with the largest influx across the southern border, surpassed only by Mexicans (87,388) and ahead of Guatemalans, Hondurans, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, immigrants who traditionally added higher amounts.