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Mexico’s migrant shelters overwhelmed in crackdown

TAPACHULA, Mexico (AP) — Thin mattresses cover every inch of floor each night at the Good Shepherd shelter near the Mexico-Guatemala border, even spilling into the kitchen and the chapel, as an over-capacity crowd of migrants tries to find space to sleep.

With nearly 700 migrants packed into a space intended for 250, its director, Olga Sánchez, sometimes can offer only beans, rice and a roof.

“They are living in misery,” said Sánchez, whose nonprofit shelter relies on donations.

Mexico’s ramped-up effort to curb the flow of Central American migrants to the United States so far hasn’t eased the burden on the dozens of independent humanitarian shelters like Sánchez’s that are scattered along migration routes through the country. It may even have increased demand because many fear they could be detained if they leave the shelter.

Religious groups, mostly Catholic but including some Protestant denominations, have long operated shelters to aid migrants. Initially, they largely helped Mexicans making their way north, or those who had been deported and dumped across the border. But the flow of Mexicans north has abated, replaced by a new flood of Central Americans, Cubans, Haitians and even Africans trying to reach the U.S. or, in some cases, establish roots in Mexico itself.

Most of the migrants at Good Shepherd are seeking refugee status in Mexico and awaiting documentation that could eventually allow them to find work and settle in the country.

At Mexico’s northern border with the U.S., shelters in places like Tijuana, Mexicali and Ciudad Juarez are overwhelmed both by migrants arriving from the south, as well as by thousands being returned by the U.S. government to await resolution of their asylum petitions in Mexican territory.

The pinch has been compounded by the austerity measures of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who has slashed support for non-governmental organizations in general, even if he said on Wednesday his government would support those running shelters.

On Tuesday, the state government of Tabasco, through which many migrants pass, announced that it was investigating shelters on suspicion of money laundering.

Meanwhile, migrants have been trying to make the best of the crowded conditions, appreciative of having a safe place to rest.

“It’s better to be here than have them take you prisoner,” said Hoda Teresa Gómez, who arrived from Honduras with her husband and three children two weeks ago.

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