Name: Eight-year-old boy dies as migrants risk Arctic conditions to cross river into US
Brand: theguardian.com
SKU: theguardian-com-871
Availability: OnlineOnly

critic

Eight-year-old boy dies as migrants risk Arctic conditions to cross river into US

preview

This article is more than 1 year oldThis article is more than 1 year oldChild drowned while crossing the freezing Rio Grande with his family amid unprecedented weather conditions at US-Mexico borderLast modified on Fri 19 Feb 2021 13.22 ESTAn eight-year-old Honduran boy has become the latest victim in a string of drownings on the as migrants attempt to cross the Rio Grande in treacherous winter conditions.The child, who has not been named, drowned on Wednesday while attempting to cross the freezing river with his family amid unprecedented Arctic conditions in the borderlands which have killed more than 30 people and left millions in Mexico and without power, water and food.The family was attempting to cross the river from Piedras Negras in the Mexican state of Coahuila to reach Eagle Pass, Texas, in frigid conditions. The boy’s parents and sister apparently made it to the US, but were returned to Mexico by Customs and Border Protection (CBP).According to Mexican immigration officials, the boy “couldn’t withstand the pounding water, which covered him and kept him submerged for several meters”. His body was recovered but attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.Crossing the mighty Rio Grande is always perilous: many of whom could not swim, have drowned over the years after being caught out by the deceptively deep waters and strong current.The huge winter storm currently blanketing the entire state of Texas, which has produced significant snow and prolonged freezing temperatures, has made the crossing even more dangerous.Earlier this week, a Venezuelan woman died trying to cross the river in the same area after getting trapped in below-freezing currents. Three others suffered hypothermia: one was treated by the Red Cross in Mexico, while the other two made it the US border.Border patrol agents in Texas have reportedly detained more than suffering from exposure and other cold-related injuries over the past week. The migrants were originally from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Ecuador, according to the CBP.The deaths come as advocates in Mexico report a substantial increase in migrants from the Caribbean, Central and South America, who are fleeing a miserable mix of poverty, violence, corruption and natural disasters linked to the climate crisis.Guatemala and Honduras, two of the most unequal, violent and corrupt countries in the region, were in November battered by , and with little medical, food or economic assistance from their governments.Facing starvation, many are on the move in search of safety, work and family reunification amid a glimmer of hope that the US will be less hostile to migrants and asylum seekers under Joe Biden.“We’re seeing a big increase in migrants arriving in Mexico, trying to escape the consequences of climate change and make a better life,” said Martha Sánchez Soler, founder of the Mesoamerican Migrant Movement, a non-profit advocacy group based in Mexico City. “There’s no adequate shelter in Mexico because of the pandemic, and they’re encountering the impact of climate change in the north.”Protective health measures imposed to curtail the spread of Covid-19, including drastically reduced capacity at shelters along the route, mean migrants in transit are forced to risk travelling in life-threatening weather conditions and to stay in places preyed upon by criminal gangs and corrupt officials.

This article is more than 1 year oldThis article is more than 1 year oldChild drowned while crossing the freezing Rio Grande with his family amid unprecedented weather conditions at US-Mexico borderLast modified on Fri 19 Feb 2021 13.22 ESTAn eight-year-old Honduran boy has become the latest victim in a string of drownings on the as migrants attempt to cross the Rio Grande in treacherous winter conditions.The child, who has not been named, drowned on Wednesday while attempting to cross the freezing river with his family amid unprecedented Arctic conditions in the borderlands which have...

public

Nina Lakhani

TheGuardian.com, formerly known as Guardian.co.uk and Guardian Unlimited, is a British news and media website owned by the Guardian Media Group. It contains nearly all of the content of the newspapers The Guardian and The Observer, as well as a substantial body of web-only work produced by its own staff, including a rolling news service.

Eight-year-old boy dies as migrants risk Arctic conditions to cross river into US

No article scores yet.

CRITIC REVIEWS

PUBLIC REVIEWS