Located in Guerrero, Lismailen Galbán Gil, 15, said that she left of her own free will
14ymedio, Mexico City, 16 June 2024 — Lismailen Galbán Gil was located this Saturday in the Mexican state of Guerrero. The young woman, 15 years old, told the authorities that “her absence was voluntary” and denied that she had been a victim of a crime.
Galbán Gil, originally from Cienfuegos, was reported by her relatives as missing in Chihuahua on June 9. According to the report, the family had been living in the Mexican state for seven months and had a home and a job.
According to data offered by the Red Lupa [’Magnifying Glass Network’] platform, as of May 16 of this year, 470 people were under 18 years old when they disappeared, and 63.6 percent were children.
Taking into account that 27.61% of the cases of missing and unlocated women are in the age range between 15 and 19 years, the authorities launched the Alba Protocol. The sharing of information between the security units made it possible to locate Galbán Gil and return her to her family.
Katerin Rodríguez Vázquez has not had the same fortune. The 19-year-old girl disappeared on March 23 on the journey from Tapachula (Chiapas) to Mexico City.
The case of Rodríguez Vázquez was reported by her grandfather, former soccer referee Ramón Rodríguez Cordero. The young woman had recently arrived in the state on the border with Guatemala, after flying to Nicaragua, like thousands of Cubans, and starting the crossing to the United States.
Last February, relatives of the Cuban Melissa de la Caridad Blanco González, who disappeared in Tapachula (Chiapas) in the middle of that month, started a campaign on social networks to find her. The 22-year-old, who was waiting for an immigration appointment to continue her journey through Mexico, was alone and had rented a room.
Galbán Gil, originally from Cienfuegos, was reported by her relatives as missing in Chihuahua on June 9
Mexico continues to be a transit country for Cubans, with several waiting for an appointment with the U.S. immigration authorities. However, last Friday Washington reported that it does not plan to increase the number of daily appointments available in the CBP One application, which allows migrants arriving at the southern border to present themselves at a port of entry to request protection, asylum and access to the country.
In statements to a media group, the Secretary of National Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, said that the Government has a “limited capacity” for processing the cases of migrants.
Currently the United States only offers 1,450 daily appointments through this application for the entire southern border.
After the entry into force of a series of asylum restrictions for those who cross the border irregularly, the US Government said that the CBP One application is now the only tool that migrants in transit have to apply for asylum in the country.
The secretary stressed that, every year, CBP One allows more than 500,000 people to reach U.S. border points to file their applications for protection.
Translated by Regina Anavy
____________
COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.
