EL PASO -- They are not your typical undocumented immigrants.
Thousands of middle-class Mexican citizens, under the guise of being commuters or visitors, may be manipulating the U.S. immigration system to escape the violence of Juárez.
More than 4,600 murders occurred in Juárez in 2008 and 2009, and the fallout is apparent in the city's decay. More than 110,000 houses have been abandoned, 75,000 people have lost their jobs and more than 10,000 businesses have closed.
Now a white-collar segment of Juárez's population may be streaming to El Paso by misusing tourist visas, then renting houses or apartments or even opening businesses.
Living in the United States may be illegal for these immigrants who flee the epicenter of Mexico's drug war by moving right across the border to one of the safest cities in the country.
El Paso had 12 murders last year compared to 2,643 in Juárez. New York City, with eight times the population of Juárez, had 466 homicides in 2009.
(Posted by Alejandra Franco)
http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_14486059?IADID=Search-www.elpasotimes.com-www.elpasotimes.com
No comments:
Post a Comment