Mexico City/Yolexis Figuereo could not qualify for the position of warehouse assistant with a monthly salary of 4,799 pesos (273 dollars) that was offered by the Tabasco National Employment Service (Snet) as part of the agreement with the company Fomento Economico Mexicano (Femsa). “Work is not for all migrants,” he tells 14ymedio This man has been waiting for eight months for the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance (Comar) to respond to his request for refuge.
According to Figuereo, the vacancies are for “people who already have the Visitor Card for Humanitarian Reasons and the Temporary Population Registration Unique Code for foreigners”, two documents that are processed before the National Migration Institute, but are generally granted when refugee status is made official.
“There is no opportunity for migrants without papers,” says the Cuban who stays in the state thanks to a job as an assistant in a warehouse, for which he receives 198 pesos a day (11 dollars), well below the minimum wage in the state of 315 pesos (almost 18 dollars).
“There is no opportunity for migrants without papers,” says Cuban Yolexis Figuereo.
The Snet confirms to this newspaper that “at least 17 migrants qualified for the positions offered, but the number could increase these days”, among them, four positions were for Cubans. However, he did not provide details of salaries.
The head of the State Employment Service, Victoria Zarrabal Rabelo, stated that “they carried out the evaluation on several migrants and based on the results, if they qualify, we will make another call.”
In addition, he confirmed that “priority is given to those who already have their papers in order and are already residing in the state.”
Lázaro, another migrant from the Island in Tabasco, ruled himself out when he learned of his compatriot’s result. “I don’t have papers, I’m nobody in this country,” he says. According to Figuereo, “this partner was expelled by the United States and has been living in shelters and on the streets.”
The almost 50-year-old man “is subdued,” says Figuereo. “He was arrested in Texas for going jalao (drunken state), they processed him and deported him to Mexico because the Island did not want him.”
Along with Lázaro there were more Cubans living with him, but “they are gone, they are old.” With them was Alberto, another deportee, “but I have not seen him at the ‘God bless you’ shelter. I hope the guy is okay because he had no way of locating his daughters,” adds Figuereo.
