Migrants deterred by Trump's border crackdown wait for UN help to return home
DANLI, Honduras - Migrants deterred by U.S. President Donald Trump's border crackdown are making their way back to their home countries as crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border continue to fall.
In the Honduran town of Danli, near the border with Nicaragua, dozens of migrants are waiting for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), a United Nations agency, to fly them back to Venezuela and other countries.
Betzabeth Bencomo said that after she gave up on her hopes of entering the United States and left Mexico, she thought she'd have to travel once again across the lawless jungle that separates Colombia and Panama in order to reach her native Venezuela. But upon arriving in Honduras, she learned that the IOM was offering repatriation flights for migrants looking to return home.
"We've been waiting for two and a half months," she said. "God willing, soon we will be home."
Venessa Contreras, also from Venezuela, feels safer now that she knows she will be able to fly home - even if she has to wait. She said that the journey home has gotten even more deadly since Panama took steps to block off parts of the jungle, pushing some migrants to resort to traveling by sea on small boats that occasionally capsize on the reverse migration route.
Interest in IOM's assisted voluntary return program has soared since Trump's crackdown began.
In January and February, the agency received 2,862 requests for the program, more than triple the requests logged during the same period last year. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
15 minutes ago
- Straits Times
EU welcomes Ukraine's pledge to protect anti-corruption agencies
FILE PHOTO: Ukrainians protest in the first wartime rally against a newly passed law, which curbs independence of anti-corruption institutions, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine July 23, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo BRUSSELS - The European Union welcomed Ukraine's pledge to protect the independence of its anti-corruption agencies and said on Thursday that a commitment to fight corruption is an important precondition both for EU financial aid as well as for potential EU membership. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy vowed on Wednesday to retain the independence of anti-corruption agencies, bowing to pressure from the first wartime street protests since Russia invaded the country in February 2022 and rare rebukes from European allies. "We welcome the fact that the Ukrainian government is taking action, and we work with them to make sure that our concerns, which have been clearly explained yesterday and the day before yesterday, are indeed taken into account," an EU spokesperson told reporters in response to questions. Zelenskiy said he would submit a new bill to ensure the rule of law and retain the independence of the anti-corruption agencies. The EU spokesperson said that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had spoken to Zelenskiy about the issue but provided no further detail. "We work with them to make sure that these concerns regarding the fight against corruption, which is an extremely important priority for us and for Ukraine, are indeed correctly addressed," the spokesperson said. "We provide significant financial support to Ukraine and this is conditional to progress and transparency, judicial reform and democratic governance," an EU spokesperson said. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Live: People evacuated from border regions amid deadly Thailand-Cambodia clash Asia 11 Thai civilians killed as Thai and Cambodian militaries clash at disputed border: Reports Singapore Singapore calls for immediate Gaza ceasefire amid 'unconscionable' civilian suffering Singapore Khatib Camp to make way for housing, with its functions moving to Amoy Quee Camp Singapore First BTO flats in Greater Southern Waterfront, Mount Pleasant to go on sale in October Singapore Primary 1 registration: 29 schools to conduct ballot in Phase 2B Asia 'Vampire coach': Coercive blood sampling in school casts spotlight on Taiwan's culture of obedience Singapore 1,300 names, addresses of traffic offenders published online; police investigating He added that in light of potential EU accession, Ukraine needs to have a strong capacity to combat corruption and to have the institutions to do so, and that these institutions must be independent. REUTERS
Straits Times
44 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Italy's Albanian migrant hub cost seven times more than home facility, report says
FILE PHOTO: A general view of the reception camp, as migrants who were intercepted at sea and later detained at a reception facility in Albania are transferred to Italy after a court in Rome overturned their detention orders, in Shengjin, Albania, October 19, 2024. REUTERS/Florion Goga/File Photo ROME - The migrant detention hub Italy has set up in Albania has cost seven times more than an equivalent facility back home, a study by the ActionAid Italy charity and the University of Bari said on Thursday. The Italian interior ministry declined to comment on the report. Conservative Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni sees the facilities set up in Albania as a cornerstone of her tough immigration policies, and other European countries have looked to them as a possible model. The scheme was launched last year but almost immediately put on hold as Italian courts repeatedly ordered the return to Italy of migrants picked up at sea and taken to Albania, citing issues with European Union law. The bloc's top court has yet to give its opinion on the issue. According to the report, Italy's government awarded contracts worth 74.2 million euros ($87 million) to build the Albanian detention facilities. It spent more than 153,000 euros for each operational bed space in Albania, the report estimated. By comparison, an asylum seekers' detention facility in Sicily's Porto Empedocle cost around 1 million euros for 50 operational bed spaces, or just over 21,000 euros per bed, ActionAid and the University of Bari found. "The Albania operation stands out as the most expensive, inhumane, and ineffective measure in the history of Italian migration policy," their report said. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Live: People evacuated from border regions amid deadly Thailand-Cambodia clash Asia 11 Thai civilians killed as Thai and Cambodian militaries clash at disputed border: Reports Singapore Singapore calls for immediate Gaza ceasefire amid 'unconscionable' civilian suffering Singapore Khatib Camp to make way for housing, with its functions moving to Amoy Quee Camp Singapore First BTO flats in Greater Southern Waterfront, Mount Pleasant to go on sale in October Singapore Primary 1 registration: 29 schools to conduct ballot in Phase 2B Asia 'Vampire coach': Coercive blood sampling in school casts spotlight on Taiwan's culture of obedience Singapore 1,300 names, addresses of traffic offenders published online; police investigating It also reported that Italy last year paid some 570,000 euros ($670,000) to a cooperative that runs the Albanian centre, despite it being operational for just five days to host a total of 20 migrants. In response to judicial opposition, this year Meloni's government said it would turn the Albanian hub into a repatriation facility for failed asylum seekers expelled from Italy, rather than a holding centre for migrants rescued in the Mediterranean. Italy's main opposition force, the centre-left Democratic Party (PD), seized on Thursday's report to denounce a waste of public resources. "Giorgia Meloni must apologise to Italians, because the figures regarding the costs of her illegal Albania operation are an insult even to the millions of people who are currently struggling to get by," said PD leader Elly Schlein. REUTERS
Straits Times
44 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Russia's Putin joins mourners to pay respects to ex-classmate and top judge
SENSITIVE MATERIAL. THIS IMAGE MAY OFFEND OR DISTURB Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a farewell ceremony for Russian Supreme Court Chief Justice Irina Podnosova at the Central Clinical Hospital of the Russian Presidential Administration in Moscow, Russia July 24, 2025. Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool via REUTERS MOSCOW - President Vladimir Putin joined mourners on Thursday to say farewell to his former classmate Irina Podnosova, the head of Russia's Supreme Court, who died earlier this week aged 71. Putin looked sad and pensive as he sat alongside members of Podnosova's family in a Moscow hospital where her open casket was placed on display, flanked by an honour guard, for people to pay their final respects. Putin placed a bouquet of red flowers at the foot of her coffin, crossed himself, and bowed his head over the open casket before talking to her family. Putin, 72, and Podnosova were fellow law students in the 1970s in Leningrad, now St Petersburg, where the future president launched his career in the KGB security service. Podnosova was one of several trusted associates from that period who took on senior roles in politics and the judiciary after he became president. Podnosova had been chair of the Supreme Court for little more than a year. She died of cancer, Russian media reported. REUTERS
