In the middle of the positions from Aztecas Street, in the neighborhood of Tepitothe Traders They begin to “carry the carousel” singing the chorus of La negra tiene tumbao, by Celia Cruz, but they do it in the masculine: El negro tiene tumbao; they sing in front of Joseph who does not hesitate to take a few dance steps, put on a cap with the shield of the New York Yankees and begin to arrange the merchandise.
The dark-skinned young man’s accent is unmistakable amidst the screams of “Take it, take it, I’ll show you whatever you like!” Joseph tells El Sol de México that he left his hometown Cuba last December with the intention of reaching the United States, a country that, he hopes, will grant him refugeor in the coming months.
He sits on a plastic bench and says that he already has an appointment—in December—for CBP ONE, the telephone application that the United States government launched in January 2023 to schedule interviews for migrants at land ports of entry in order to grant asylum in an orderly manner.
Until that day comes, Joseph makes a living in Tepitoone of the most violent neighborhoods in the country’s capital, selling appliances. He says that he arrived thanks to Joel, a compatriot who entered Mexico last year in a migrant caravan.
“You have to save money to make it to the appointment, but you have to get to work,” says Joseph while showing a blender to a client. “Had you heard of Tepito in Cuba?”he is asked.
“No, never, a friend told me and now here I am, they say it’s tough, but apart from the mockery that my colleagues give me, I feel comfortable, I feel safe, I arrive, I work and from here to my house in Azcapotzalco, I’m careful,” he answers amidst the laughter of the others. merchants.
You may be interested in: Street vendors ask for a level playing field on the Alameda
The migrants There are hundreds of people working in the emblematic neighbourhood, characterised by the sale of pirated goods or goods of dubious origin, says Don Julio, Joseph’s boss. “Many say they have an appointment to come in, others try to get an appointment here, but they never get one. They have found a way to survive here, they let each other know. Many are only here for a few months because they just want to save money to continue on their way to the United States and there are all kinds, many are very hard-working and others who like to slack off,” he says.
Don Julio comments that one of the “delegates” of the market He took on the task of counting the migrants who have come to work in the neighborhood “and it didn’t end, it was like 200 and it didn’t end.”
Among the street vendors there are Cubans, Venezuelans and Haitians, But most of them don’t like to talk about their stories or their plans.
Aztecas Street and Argentina Street, which borders Tepito and the Historic Centerare pointed out by the merchants themselves as an area where migrants have found work.
Jorman Carreño, like Joseph, is one of them. Originally from Venezuela, he sells clothes and tools in one of the thousands of stalls in Tepitowhere your boss pays you 1,500 pesos a week with which the rent of the dwelling who lives in Chabacano and food. “We only rest on Tuesdays,” he says.
He Venezuelan He assures that he is also waiting for an appointment with CBP ONE to request political asylum in the United States and that he has to work because on the way to Monterrey they kidnapped him, took everything he was carrying and burned his clothes.
“By chance, a cousin who came to Mexico before me recommended this area for work. I had never even thought that this place existed here, but they told me that there was work here for anyone who wanted to work and put in the effort, and here I am moving forward. I sell a lot of things,” says Jorman.
He says he studied accounting in Venezuelabut the political and economic situation in the South American nation forces anyone to flee in any way possible.
➡️ Join El Sol de México’s WhatsApp channel to not miss the most important information
“Given what happened to me, I honestly don’t want to stay in Mexico. I’m scared. I want to get money to get to my appointment in the north, and if they don’t approve me, I’ll try to cross wherever I can. I hope they approve me, right,” says the Venezuelan while covering the merchandise from the first drops of rain with a transparent tarp.
According to information from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) processes 1,450 appointments daily and as of August 16, migrants will be able to apply for an appointment from Tabasco and Chiapas. Previously, they could only apply for one from their countries of origin or in states in northern Mexico.