On Thursday, migrants at the Mexico-Guatemala border celebrated the International Migrant Day, expressing hope for the possibility of settling in Mexico due to the difficulties of entering the United States, driven by U.S. President Donald Trump, who is about to complete a year in the White House. This is the case for Susan Niquerol Martin, a Cuban with Mexican residency, who has abandoned her initial goal of reaching the United States. "I have my residency, thank God, I am happy to rebuild my life here, seeking job opportunities and more," she told EFE in the city of Tapachula (Chiapas), the largest on Mexico's southern border and one of the epicenters of the migration crisis in the American continent. Around 500 people, mostly from Cuba and Haiti, attended the International Migrant Day event. They visited the various booths of civil and governmental organizations in search of employment and medical care. In addition, authorities offered medical attention, legal advice, clothing donations, food distribution, toys for children, and activities. Denise Lugardo Escobar, director of International Relations and Cross-Border Development of Tapachula, emphasized that the event was held "with warmth," highlighting that the main requests from migrants are migration regularization, formal job placement, and access to a dignified life. "What should reign is inclusion and to see them with eyes that are not of discrimination, but of attention," Lugardo said. "They tell us their life stories, sensitizing us as the local population to be able to adapt to them."
