Reading about an American couple who migrated to retire in Rosarito Beach (near Tijuana) for economic reasons (The Americans retiring to Mexico for a more affordable life: ‘We are immigrants’, 11 April), I couldn’t help but think of the contrasting reality for people on the move in search of safety in northern Mexico.
My team at the International Rescue Committee recently visited another northern Mexican city, Chihuahua, where every day 500 to 1,500 families and individuals from Honduras, Ecuador and even Mexico sleep in a temporary encampment. Displaced from their homes by increasing violence, climate change, hunger or a combination of these, they hope for a chance to seek safety in the US. The people we spoke to explained the dangers they face in transit, including sexual violence and human trafficking, and the minimal availability of essentials such as water, food and sanitation. Indeed, the encampment has only four portable latrines and one shower.
