by Kaylee Greenlee
MCALLEN, Texas — Migrants who illegally crossed the border into the U.S. said immigrating legally is only an option for privileged people.
“We all don’t have the same capacity or the same opportunity,” a Honduran man who had just crossed into the U.S. illegally with a group into La Joya, Texas, told the Daily Caller News Foundation Saturday night. “Only privileged people can cross legally.”
Migrants may pay smugglers between $7,000 and $14,000 to enter the U.S. illegally, and the fee includes multiple tries if the person is deported from the U.S., Reuters reported. Becoming a U.S. citizen, however, takes years and can cost between $4,000 and $12,000 according to the Economic Times.
“Coming legally is difficult. Almost impossible. I have my dad here that’s a resident and is applying for citizenship,” a man told the DCNF with tears in his eyes. He left Ecuador with his young son to meet family members in the U.S.
“To get the papers it takes a minimum of 14 years, by then I’ll be dead,” the man told the DCNF. “Like I told you, we’re being threatened with death.”
A Honduran man with the group said, “the rest of them do it [cross legally] because they have the money, they have a lot of money and one does this because they’re low on resources.”
A woman from Honduras said she paid $7,000 for her, her son and her father. Some cartels charge Central Americans $14,000 for three attempts at illegally entering the U.S., according to Reuters.
“Everyone pays a different price, we paid $7,000,” a female from Honduras told the DCNF shortly after illegally entering the U.S.
Migrants who want to enter the U.S. legally spend between $3,000 and $10,000 on legal fees, medical exams and vaccinations, and an additional $725 to apply for U.S. citizenship and biometrics collections, according to the Economic Times. They’re also expected to pay several fees including petitions with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services which cost between $460 and $700.
Some migrants who illegally enter the U.S. are issued bracelets that reflect their status with smugglers or cartels, Reuters reported.
The “information on the bracelets represents a multitude of data that is used by smuggling organizations, such as payment status or affiliation with smuggling groups,” Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesperson Matthew Dyman told Reuters.
One Honduran migrant who declined to give his name to Reuters said he paid $500 in order to not be targeted for kidnapping or extortion in Mexico and that he would receive another bracelet after paying to cross the river, Reuters reported. A smuggler told Reuters the bracelets are used to mark those who have paid to move through areas controlled by the cartel “so there aren’t killings by mistake.”
Border officials encountered nearly 190,000 migrants at the southern border in June, according to CBP Data. Over 103,000 of those encountered in June were expelled under a Trump-era public health order that officials have used to remove around 752,000 migrants since October 2020.
– – –
Kaylee Greenlee is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Why is it they don’t understand that they don’t have the right to be here illegally? It IS a priviledge to live here! Just because you want to live here doesn’t mean you can. They ALL need to stop coming here. They do nothing but suck off money from the citizens and turn our society into a third world h3ll hole! At this point, we can only hope that when President Trump gets back into office, he rounds them all up and deports them!
Amen.
Do you live on the border? Your ex—president Trump isn’t coming back into office. He legally lost the election. This problem has been going on before he and the republicans brought it to “life”. Most illegal immigrants are essential workers since there are people who would rather be on welfare, not working menial jobs. Gather all your facts before making statements.
I live in the RGV.
Loretta: The democratic party cheated and the evidence is overwhelming. America has a legal pathway to citizenship. If you want to live in America, follow the rules. Oh, but that’s right, rules are only for law abiding, decent citizens, not the democrats and the third worlders that are flooding across the border binging with them covid 19 and so many other problems, that would include criminals who have already been deported. If you find no problem with what is currently happening in America under that fool Biden’s watch, you are also a fool and completely out of touch with reality. You obviously have no ability to see what America is going to be like in ten years if we continue down the road the donks are leading us.
And another thing, IN 2019 I worked in a grocery store in a large metropolitan city in Tennessee. Like clockwork, when the EBT cards would be recharged with welfare money in would come the illegals with their rude children in tow. One of the favorite plows was to come up to the checkout counter with a cart full of nothing but meat. And I talking about over $200.00 work of meat. Then they would pay for it with their EBT card. Then you what the did with the meat, they sold it to their friend for cash.
My wife lived in Mexico and I have been to Mexico. It is a dirty filthy crap hole. You think all of the illegal immigrants are just going to be good, clean upstanding citizens and not trash where they live. Ha.
They’ve been bused into Nashville , a “sanctuary city” for years. They have no money , no health insurance , get deathly sick , then show up at the hospitals for dialysis, heart surgery , cancer treatment , multiple surgeries and treatments for their babies with profound birth defects , you name it. And guess who pays for all of that? And health care is just ONE issue.
Damn criminals. While some of them are well meaning, this flood of illegal immigrants will lead to more crime, government handouts, and a reduction in the quality of life for real U.S. citizens. If our current governor supports this illegal activity, he needs to be replaced next year. There needs to be push back from our State leaders against the relocation of these people to Tenneswsee