EXCLUSIVE: Mexican officials are extorting thousands of dollars from migrants to apply for asylum

[demmiblue]

REYNOSA, Mexico — The “psycho-terror,” as Andreina calls it, started as soon as she stepped off the plane here in February and showed her Venezuelan passport. Mexican immigration officials separated her and the other Venezuelans from the line and pulled them into a room in the airport, one by one.

“They started to verbally attack me, to tell me that they were going to send me back to Venezuela. And then they said to my face, ‘How much money did you bring?’” said Andreina, 42, who is using her middle name to protect her safety.

Andreina opened her wallet — she had $400 to get her from Venezuela to the U.S. Immigration officials took it all. One agent told her “Good luck, get out of here,” and then directed her to a line of taxis that would take her to the bridge linking Reynosa to McAllen, Texas, where she wanted to ask for asylum.

Corruption and organized crime have long been a part of daily life along the Mexican side of the border. But corruption has become even more brazen over the past year, as Mexican immigration officials and organized crime are preying on migrants, charging them thousands for the privilege of simply waiting in line in Mexico to claim asylum in the U.S. The strict limitations on asylum seekers enacted under the Trump administration has turned the process into a lucrative business for corrupt Mexican officials and cartels.

https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/kzdy4e/exclusive-mexican-officials-are-extorting-thousands-of-dollars-from-migrants-to-apply-for-asylum?utm_campaign=sharebutton

[mr_lebowski]

1. Trump and the GOP will love it, no doubt ... the more it sucks to try to come here, the less will do

so. Who cares how bad it gets for these asylum seekers, as far as they care.

It's pretty brilliant (in a completely wicked and evil sense) of the Mexican officials. They know the US isn't going to do SHIT about it, not with Trump in charge.

It's a total free-for-all now. Won't be long before we start hearing stories of the women (and likely, quite young women, even more sadly) being raped if they have no money to exchange.