Heavy Rainfall In The RGV Threatens Asylum-Seeking Refugees In Reynosa
Roads are overflowing in McAllen from heavy rainfall, and the possibility of flash floods in poorly drained and low-lying areas increases as the downpour continues. Across the Rio Grande, refugees experience the same weather conditions in Reynosa, a city whose entire infrastructure has poor drainage. For those who can’t stay indoors, the rain threatens their belongings, including legal documents, and heightens disease risk in the refugee camp.
“In Mexico, three raindrops fall, and the whole thing floods,” said Mayra Garza in Spanish.
She’s a member of an organization called Mateo 25:35 that was at the campsite during some of the rainfall. While it still floods in the United States, Mexico’s poor drainage system exacerbates the problem in Reynosa, said Garza.
For the past several months, hundreds of tents and strung-up tarps have huddled en masse at the Plaza de la República — a park next to the U.S.-Mexico port of entry between McAllen and Reynosa. The space turned into a tent city after Title 42 policy was enacted under former President Donald Trump. It’s a code that pursues migrant expulsions under the pretext of public health. It was seldom-used until the COVID-19 pandemic, and has continued under President Joe Biden’s administration.
Read more: https://www.tpr.org/border-immigration/2021-07-07/heavy-rainfall-in-the-rgv-threatens-asylum-seeking-refugees-in-reynosa
(Texas Public Radio)
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