Asylum seekers forced to remain in Mexico under Trump policy say Biden is their last hope

Forced from their homes by gangs and violence, families travel thousands of miles to Mexico only to suffer the same fate in refugee camps. Chantal da Silva talks to them

Tuesday 06 October 2020 09:07 BST
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Thousands of children have been forced to wait in Mexican border towns while their asylum claims are processed in the US
Thousands of children have been forced to wait in Mexican border towns while their asylum claims are processed in the US (Getty)

When 17-year-old Ronal Morales and his family first embarked on the treacherous journey to the US border in July 2019, leaving the lives they had built in El Salvador behind, they never imagined that their destination might be just as unforgiving as the circumstances they had fled.

Back in El Salvador, Morales, whose last name has been changed over fears of retribution for speaking out, had been facing growing pressure to join one of the gangs that dominated his city.

For years, he had tried to avoid them, but one day, while walking home from school, he was confronted by four gang members who gave him two choices: “They told me to join them. If not...they were going to kill me.”

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