While the ‘Mother todas las Deportaciones’ is taking place at the country, the well-known ‘coyotes’ are making the business of their lives.
From the $6,000 they charged before President Donald Trump assumed office, the cost has now increased to $14,000 for the desert and between $18,000 and $20,000 for border posts.
“The business has not slowed down,” a contact of these ‘service providers’ tells Parriva.
“There is a high demand—many people from Haiti, Saudi Arabia, and South America,” he adds.
There are no updated figures from ICE on recent arrests at the border, but the general opinion on the Mexican border is that the threats from the Trump administration have accelerated the urgency of migrants to cross at any price.
“I sold my house in Cuba,” a woman confesses. “I have the money, and I will fight to achieve my goal.”
She is currently detained in a migrant shelter in Mexico, but she estimates that she will try to cross at any moment.
“These operations do not stop the crossings; they just make them more expensive. You know, the resilience of the migrants is great, and many groups of ‘coyotes’ are willing to venture out and help them cross. It’s a lot of money, but people pay them,” adds the contact.
