Migrants on Mexico’s southern border sew mouths shut as they demand passage to US

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Migrants on Mexico’s southern border sewed their mouths shut on Tuesday in a gruesome bid to convince the Mexican government to let them in, so they can then travel north and try to get into the United States.

Reuters reports that about a dozen migrants, mainly from Central and South America, sewed their lips with needle and plastic thread, leaving a small space to drink liquids. They also used alcohol to wipe away the blood from the stitches.

ONLY 59% OF SINGLE ADULTS ENCOUNTERED BY BORDER PATROL EXPELLED VIA TITLE 42 IN DECEMBER

A migrant begins a hunger strike with her mouth sewed shut during a protest in Tapachula, Mexico, to demand free transit through the country on Feb. 15, 2022 (Reuters/Jose Torres)

The protest took place in Tapachula, a border city with Guatemala, where thousands of migrants are waiting for permission to enter the country and cross over to the United States, the outlet reported.

"We hope that the National Migration Institute can see that they are bleeding, that they are human beings," Irineo Mujica, an activist at the demonstration, told Reuters. 

Migrants making their way to the southern border will often walk through multiple countries to get to the U.S. as their preferred destination to claim asylum.

The Mexican government said in a statement that it was "worrying that these measures have been carried out with the consent and support of those who call themselves their representatives, with the intention of pressuring authorities on an attention already provided."

The protest took place in Tapachula, a border city with Guatemala, where thousands of migrants are waiting for permission to enter the country and cross over to the United States. (Reuters/Jose Torres)

It said it gives priority to those who make up vulnerable groups such as children, pregnant women, crime victims, the elderly and the disabled.

Migrants from a broad number of countries have been trying to get into the United States as the Biden administration has rolled back border protections and policies put in place during the Trump administration.

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Recently, the U.S. has seen more migrants coming from countries such as Nicaragua, Brazil, Cuba and Venezuela. The number of Nicaraguans has shot up from 1,930 in March to 15,298 in December. The number of Brazilian encounters has risen from 3,995 in March to 7,924 in December, and the number of Cubans increased from 2,556 in March to 24,819 in December.

Overall there were 178,840 migrant encounters at the U.S. southern border in December.