Up to a million people, and maybe more, are crossing the Mexico-United States border each year to take advantage of medical treatment, according to estimates.They’re not going in the direction you might think, though.Hundreds of thousands of American citizens are crossing to Mexico for what has been unofficially called “medical tourism.” A dental procedure in Mexico, as an example, might cost one-fourth of its cost in the United States. The one million estimate applies only to U.S. citizens, not undocumented immigrants or those in the U.S. illegally. Pinpointing a precise number is difficult due to privacy laws for medical treatment. This startling exodus is not about border security. Rather, it’s proof of the ongoing problem (and to many people, a crisis) in United States health care costs.“That’s why so many Americans go down there, even after the Affordable Care Act, Obamacare,” said Josef Woodman, a medical travel advocate quoted in … [Read more...] about Border crossings work both ways (Editorial)
United states border crossings
GOP Congressman Rebuked For Allegedly Phony Border Crossing Stunt
Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) was slammed Friday for a video in which he claimed to have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border, only to be contradicted by a Border Patrol spokesman who threw cold water on his story. The clip, posted Thursday on Hunter’s Twitter page, shows the congressman walking toward a barrier of beams, telling viewers he had arrived at Yuma, Arizona’s “grand border wall” just 15 meters from Mexico. “This is what we expect to stop people ― transnational terrorists, families, all the illegal aliens who are coming across the border,” he said. “This is it. It looks pretty tough to cross. Let me see if I can do it.” The question ― clearly a rhetorical one ― was soon answered as Hunter hopped over the fence, declaring, “That’s how easy it is to cross the border here in Yuma, Arizona.” Late night ride-along with U.S. Border Patrol in Yuma, AZ. pic.twitter.com/azbsFCKvaV— Rep. Duncan Hunter … [Read more...] about GOP Congressman Rebuked For Allegedly Phony Border Crossing Stunt
Waiting for Asylum in the United States, Migrants Live in Fear in Mexico
TIJUANA, Mexico — Hoping to convince American immigration officials that his life is in danger, Selvin Alvarado sorted through photographs of men who he said have threatened to kill him. Mr. Alvarado said he fled Honduras last fall after exposing corruption in his hometown and was followed into Mexico by an armed group. Once he reached the United States, he believed he would be safe — even if that meant being detained while waiting for asylum. “I prefer 1,000 times being jailed,” he said last week at a shelter south of the United States border, “than being dead.” Instead, as part of a newly expanded Trump administration policy, Mr. Alvarado, 29, a father of two, was sent back to Mexico. He has been waiting for weeks to be summoned for an asylum hearing in California. Hundreds of asylum seekers are expected to be blocked from waiting in the United States each day under the so-called Remain in Mexico policy, which American officials describe as a … [Read more...] about Waiting for Asylum in the United States, Migrants Live in Fear in Mexico
Study: Blocking by U.S. border sentries, wait lists spur border crossings
MEXICO CITY, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- Mexican border cities have been forced to shelter up to thousands of asylum seekers because Customs and Border Protection sentries are standing on international bridges to block them from stepping onto United States soil, a new report says. But instead of waiting at ports of entry for days or weeks at a time, frustrated asylum seekers are opting to cross the border between ports of entry. "There is currently no processing capacity," is the standard response of CBP sentries controlling access to ports of entry, according to Stephanie Leutert, the report's lead author who directs the Mexico Security Initiative at the Strauss Center at the University of Texas at Austin. The "metering" practice, as CBP calls it, began in Southern California in 2016 and rolled out at every pedestrian crossing along the 2,000-mile border in May. In Tijuana, an informal wait list began so asylum seekers could leave the bridge area to wait in shelters. The wait lists soon spread … [Read more...] about Study: Blocking by U.S. border sentries, wait lists spur border crossings
U.S. Border Agents Arrest MS-13 Gang Member ‘Intending On Filing For Asylum In The United States’
U.S. border patrol agents arrested an MS-13 gang member at the Calexico Port of Entry on Saturday the Department of Homeland Security announced on Wednesday. Jose Villalobos-Jobel, 29, a Honduran citizen, was arrested by Border Patrol agents assigned to El Centro Sector around 6:00 pm that day, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection press release. It read, “After a short interview, the man told agents he is a Honduran citizen and active gang member with the notorious Mara Salvatrucha 13 (MS-13) international crime organization. The man also told agents he traveled to the United States border with a large group of people from Central America intending on filing for asylum in the United States.” (RELATED: NBC REPORTER RELEASES COUNT OF CARAVAN MIGRANTS STAYING IN SHELTER — THEY’RE MOSTLY MEN) CIUDAD TECUN UMAN, GUATEMALA – OCTOBER 19: Members of the migrant caravan push forward at a gate separating Guatemala from Mexico … [Read more...] about U.S. Border Agents Arrest MS-13 Gang Member ‘Intending On Filing For Asylum In The United States’