Deadly Israeli airstrikes pound Gaza as Doha talks raise hopes for ceasefire    Egypt accelerates coastal protection projects amid rising climate threats    Egypt's PM calls Israeli war on Gaza 'most dangerous crisis' at BRICS summit    Egypt's FinMin urges BRICS to support debt sustainability    Egypt's gold prices up on July 6th    Venezuela vows to uphold sovereignty on 214th independence anniversary    ADIB Egypt publishes second sustainability report for 2024    Egypt, Saudi FMs discuss Gaza truce, Iran-Israel tensions    Over 215,000 projects funded under Mashrouak, exceeding EGP 33bn in May: Minister    Egypt, Norway hold informal talks ahead of global plastic treaty negotiations    Greco-Roman tombs with hieroglyphic inscriptions discovered in Aswan    UN conference cites Egypt's 'NWFE' programme as model for development finance    Global tour for Korean 'K-Comics' launches in Cairo with 'Hellbound' exhibition    China's factory output expands in June '25    Philip Morris Misr announces new price list effective 1 July    Egypt teams up with private sector to boost university rankings    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Egypt condemns deadly terrorist attack in Niger    Egypt's FM, China's Wang discuss Iran-Israel escalation    Egypt's EHA, Schneider Electric sign MoU on sustainable infrastructure    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Grand Egyptian Museum opening delayed to Q4    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's EDA joins high-level Africa-Europe medicines regulatory talks    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    Egypt's Democratic Generation Party Evaluates 84 Candidates Ahead of Parliamentary Vote    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Cabinet approves establishment of national medical tourism council to boost healthcare sector    Egypt's PM follows up on Julius Nyerere dam project in Tanzania    Egypt's FM inspects Julius Nyerere Dam project in Tanzania    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Biden win bolsters asylum seekers' hopes of policy shift
Published in Ahram Online on 08 - 11 - 2020

The news and celebrations spread fast among communities of asylum seekers stranded from Tijuana to Matamoros more than 1,500 miles along the U.S.-Mexican border on Saturday - Joe Biden had won the race for the White House.
The Democratic former vice president was declared the victor by major television networks on Saturday, even as President Donald Trump filed lawsuits, alleging fraud without providing evidence, and said the race was "far from over."
Cheers and chanting broke out in a Matamoros refugee camp and among Cubans in gritty Ciudad Juarez, a reflection of awakening hope that the next president will unwind a virtual ban on asylum in the United States.
"No more Trump!" the Cubans yelled in Ciudad Juarez, just across from El Paso, Texas.
Trump's "Remain in Mexico" policy has required more than 66,000 migrants to wait in Mexico as their claims snake through U.S. courts.
All week long, the asylum seekers have held their breath amid an election that many said would determine their future.
Some implored relatives in the United States to turn out to vote against Trump. Dozens in the sprawling Matamoros camp spent election night singing hymns, praying for a Biden victory, or huddled around the camp's charging station glued to their telephones.
On Friday, a row of shiny metal balloons spelling out "Bye Trump" was displayed in the camp. On Saturday, the news many had been waiting for finally arrived.
"We're all going to celebrate today!" said Dairon Elisondo, a Cuban who works as a doctor in the Matamoros camp, a sprawling makeshift encampment that has become a symbol of the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration.
"Everyone is so happy," he added.
But, for many, the celebration came with a question: Would Biden really follow through with the pro-migrant promises he's made on the campaign trail?
"He (Biden) has said a lot of pretty words about us migrants, so I think he should have to complete everything that he's promised us," said Rubinaldo Cantillo Martínez, a Cuban asylum seeker.
Remain In Mexico?
The Trump administration has progressively tightened U.S. law to the point that it is now all but impossible to apply for asylum along the U.S. southern border.
Biden has promised to end many of these policies, including the "Remain in Mexico" program, although there are few details so far on how he will do it. Immigration experts say it could be difficult for the incoming president to untangle Trump's series of overlapping policies and restrictions.
Yuri Gonzalez, another Cuban asylum seeker, said that although he was thrilled by the U.S. election result, he's now bracing himself for any final policies Trump might try to enact before Biden takes office.
"Let's see Trump's reaction from now until January," Gonzalez said. "I don't think he's going to be a good loser."
Back in Matamoros, Honduran asylum seeker Oscar Borjas said he didn't think the camp will be dismantled anytime soon. Even with Biden taking over, he estimates it could be at least another year until he and others could enter the United States while pursuing their claims, as was the pre-Trump administration policy.
"But it doesn't matter," he said. "The main thing is that we can't return to our countries."
Borjas said he fled Honduras after surviving threats and an assassination attempt linked to his political organizing activities against the ruling party. Reuters could not independently verify that.
Overall, the mood among asylum seekers was buoyant that the Trump era had seemingly come to an end, even if open questions remain about how - and how quickly - a Biden presidency could change their fate.
"After so much darkness the light may arrive," Elisondo said.


Clic here to read the story from its source.