The text below is a translation of the story in El Latino San Diego. Revcom.us is responsible for the translation. 

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Radical group demonstrates in front of the SY checkpoint and criticizes immigration policy

"This crisis that is taking place on the border is caused by the imperialist system itself, by its armed forces," considers an activist

by Horacio Renteria
May 12, 2023

SAN YSIDRO.- Given the end of the so-called Chapter 42 and its replacement by Chapter 8, which penalizes the illegal entry of people through the United States-Mexico border, it has generated multiple reactions from groups that fight in favor of migrants and the anti-migrants, who oppose them.

One of those groups is the self-styled Revcom, identified with the radical left wing, and who demonstrated on the afternoon of today, Friday, May 12, in front of the San Ysidro Entrance Gate.

“The reason why we are here at the border entrance is because we have seen Biden sending 1,500 armed forces, apart from 2,500 from the National Guard, on top of the Border Patrol, which are racists, they are monsters because of the way they treat our brothers at the border,” Michelle Xai, a member of the group, responded to a question from El Latino San Diego.

“This crisis that is happening on the border,” Xai said, “is made by the imperialist system itself, by its armed forces that go around the world, that invade, that destroy the environment, that torture, that rape people, all this is that system”.

“It is the same disaster that this imperialist system made”

But there is another part, Michelle, the inability of the governments of Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, Venezuela and all the countries they are coming from to keep them in their place of origin, obviously they come out of economic necessity, isn’t that so?, we asked her.

“And that is the same mess that this imperialist system made,” Michelle insisted.

Is that where it comes from?, we insisted.

“Yes, basically causing coups,” she continued, “replacing puppet governments that serve the US imperialist system. We have seen it time and time again. We have seen it in El Salvador, in Nicaragua and in different parts of the world. It is that system that causes these inequalities and then makes one think that it is their own government of their own country. It is that problem and that is why we need to overthrow that imperialist system”.

Leaving behind their families and their places of origin, many migrants have walked hundreds of kilometers in search of the so-called 'American dream' that very few achieve like those shown in the graphic and that were taken in the area near the San Ysidro entry point known as 'El Chaparral'. Photo-Archive: Horace

Mass exodus of migrants

Regarding the profile of the migrant, it seems that it has changed, compared to 2018, there were more Hondurans, Nicaraguans, Salvadorans and generally Central Americans and Haitians. Now there are Venezuelans, Cubans, Colombians, Guatemalans. Would this change in profile imply that immigration from different countries will continue? How do you see that?, we insisted .

“Yes, the experts have told us that in the coming years the number of migrants, of refugees who are going to have to leave their homes due to the destruction of the environment, that in the places where our brothers live beyond Central America that makes it impossible, they don't have clean drinking water, they don't have food, they don't have resources”.

"Trump expelled hundreds of thousands of immigrants and Biden more than 2 million," they argue

It is worth mentioning that a press report delivered during the demonstration while people were returning to Mexico recalls that Title 42 expired on Thursday, May 11, and adds that it "prohibits refugees from seeking asylum in the United States if they arrived through Mexico.

“Trump set this in motion and expelled hundreds of thousands” (of immigrants). “Biden kept it and expelled more than two million human beings,” the report states.

As Xai spoke, the small group of protesters agitated under the surveillance of a group of CBP agents and Government Services Administration (GSA) officers:

"No human being is illegal; this system is criminal. The world needs a real Revolution”.

“Of course,” indicated the interviewee, “basically provoking coups d'état; switching in puppet governments that serve the US imperialist system. We have seen it time and time again. We have seen it in El Salvador, in Nicaragua and in different parts of the world. It is that system that causes these inequalities and then makes one think that it is their own government of their own country. It is that problem and that is why we need to overthrow that imperialist system."

“With the end of title 42 at the Texas border,” Xai added, “and seeing what is happening here every day, that about 10,000 people come daily, with the National Guard and the Border Patrol, who according to them come to help, but we already know what they are coming for: to use force, to intimidate and to send a message that there is an invasion when they are the ones who are truly invading throughout the world”.

Then, in her speech with megaphone in hand, the activist would express: “There are people” (referring to migrants) “who are facing horrible conditions, kidnappings, torture, rape and other violent attacks and Kamala Harris herself, the Vice President, tells millions of desperate migrants not to come; she tells them that there is a right way to come. This is according to Democrats, who claim they care and claim they have compassion for those people who are on the other side of the border ”.

“His compassion by sending armed forces to the border, we have already seen the cruelty with which he treats people,” she said.

In an article published by the organization itself, however, it is clarified that there are 1,500 active-duty soldiers from the Army and Navy who were sent to the border with Mexico; 2,500 members of the National Guard and about 17,000 Border Patrol (CBP) agents.

It is worth mentioning that later one of the activists took a lighter and set fire to a symbolic representation of the United States flag, in an expression of disagreement with the immigration policy of the federal government of this country.