Increase in Roma Immigrants Enter US from Mexico

Every day, hundreds of Central American immigrants cross the Rio Grande River on rafts from Mexico to Texas. However, on a recent day, many people stood out among migrants wearing T-shirts and jeans.

These people were also generally taller. Some wore skirts and nice shoes. When U.S. border patrol officers arresting them near the river tried to speak to them in Spanish, they did not speak Spanish.

Some of the border crossers explained in broken English that they were Romanians, a Reuters photographer said.

Many Romanians who are part of the Roma ethnic¹ minority have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in south Texas in recent weeks to seek asylum².

This shows how far away some immigrants are coming. They have added to the high number of recent border arrests, which have reached a 20-year high.

Reuters workers witnessed large amounts of these immigrants crossing the Rio Grande on rafts many times in May. The immigrants explained to Reuters that they were fleeing racism³ in Romania and wanted to seek asylum in the United States.

The Roma are Europe's largest ethnic minority and have a long history of social exclusion⁴ and discrimination.

Over three weeks, a Reuters photographer saw nearly 200 Romanians crossing at different points along the Texas border. Many groups were extended families of 10 to 15 people.

According to Romanian media reports, many Romanian migrants fly from Paris to Mexico City as tourists. They do not need visas to enter Mexico. Then human traffickers take them by bus to the U.S. border where they cross the Rio Grande by boat or raft.

So far in 2021, border patrol officers have arrested just over 2,200 Romanians. In 2020, 266 Roma were taken into custody⁵. And in 2019 that number was 289. These numbers come from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency.

Current arrivals are on pace to be the highest since 2007. That is the earliest year for which citizenship⁶ arrival numbers are available.

Margareta Matache is director of the Roma Program at the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University. She said many Roma left Romania to escape oppression and very poor economic situations. Recently, their situation in Europe has worsened from the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Currently, U.S. policies and policy proposals offer hope for more humane⁷ and just policies, including for immigrants," Matache said. "They (Roma) are looking for a better life in a place where they are not exposed to violence, discrimination, and disrespect."

Romania's foreign ministry⁸ did not respond to a request for comment.

The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights did a survey in 2016 of nearly 8,000 Roma people in nine European countries. That survey found that about 80 percent of the Roma population was living below the national poverty line.

There is no official population count for Roma people. They live in many countries and have long faced prejudice in Europe and worldwide. Most live in eastern Europe, particularly in Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Hungary.

Words in This Story

raft – n. a flat structure (as a group of logs fastened together) for support or transportation on water

pace – n. rate of performance or delivery : on pace to set a record

exclusion – n. the act of shutting or keeping out : the state of being shut or kept out

extended family – n. a family that includes not only parents and children but also other relatives (such as grandparents, aunts, or uncles)

custody – n. immediate⁹ charge and control (as over a ward¹⁰ or a suspect) exercised by a person or an authority

survey – n. to ask (many people) a question or a series of questions in order to gather information about what most people do or think about something

1 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

2 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

3 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

4 exclusion   

n.拒绝，排除，排斥，远足，远途旅行

参考例句：

• Don't revise a few topics to the exclusion of all others.不要修改少数论题以致排除所有其他的。
• He plays golf to the exclusion of all other sports.他专打高尔夫球，其他运动一概不参加。

5 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

6 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

7 humane   

adj.人道的，富有同情心的

参考例句：

• Is it humane to kill animals for food?宰杀牲畜来吃合乎人道吗？
• Their aim is for a more just and humane society.他们的目标是建立一个更加公正、博爱的社会。

8 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

9 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

10 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。