Modou Diop thought his dream about the United States would materialise and remain evergreen once he got there, but one year into his stay, the story of this Senegalese hustler conjures up one hell of a nightmare.
By special correspondent Buya Jammeh in New York
Homeless, no job, no real prospect for one due to being undocumented, and the pesky inconvenience of a language barrier, Diop’s experience didn’t get off to the dreamy start he’d envisaged once he realised his one truest wish after leaving his native Senegal for the world’s richest country.
The young Senegelese was one of tens of thousands of hopeless Africans who fled the grinding poverty in their countries to join a new mass exodus trying to reach the US by a circuituous bus route from Nicaragua through to the Mexican border.
“I spent six million CFA on my trip to the US without doing enough research about what to expect here” he tells the African Press Agency.
27-year-old Diop, who had never been to school in Senegal, lost a menial job after three days because of his inability to communicate in English, a crucial factor in settling down quickly and keeping in step with the fast pace of life in the United States.
A friend has been helping him apply for asylum.
”Now, I find myself mired in this uncertainty and I wish I can go back home where I can make better use of my life” he adds in a fit of hopeless resignation.
Economic hardship, exacerbated by inaction or poor choices by Africa’s political elites, has led to a significant exodus of their citizens, not only to Europe but also to the United States in recent years.
It takes a lot financially and psychologically to beat a tightly regulated American visa regime and eight or more hours of air travel to reach the US from Senegal and other African countries, a privilege which is denied many wishing to leave and pursue their ‘American dream’.
The only other route available to those who give up hope of acquiring American visas through this onerous process, is flying from Africa to US’s Latin American neighbours, traveling overland from Nicaragua and Mexico before reaching their ultimate destination. Even Asians have join in, hoping for a far better life away from the unfulfilled promises of their home economies.
In Senegal, there is no shortage of travel agents selling air tickets to Latin America used as a springboard to enter the US illegally.
In recent months thousands of Africans who wished to live in the US leave their countries holding to misleading impressions that they can secure jobs immediately after making it to the land of their dreams. However, in more ways than one these dreams are shattered by the stark reality of culture shocks, regulations around immigration, job scarcities and other social challenges like inadequate shelter in the new enviroment they find themselves.
The US government has been struggling to keep up with the growing exodus of African migrants, rendering immigration a top concern for President Joe Biden and his administration as he seeks re-election in November this year.
The White House plans a massive clampdown on the U.S.-Mexico border which would shut off asylum requests and automatically deny entry to migrants once the number of people encountered by American border officials exceeded a new daily threshold.
President Biden has made an executive order temporarily suspending the processing of most asylum claims at the southern U.S. border when the seven-day average of unauthorized crossings exceeds 2,500.
Senior administration officials told reporters recently that these measures would take effect immediately but there is no indication that they will stem the flow of African migrants to the Mexican border desperate to be allowed into the US.
Senegalese immigrant Alioune Ndiaye, a documented resident of New York, laments the squalid conditions of latter day migrants who have no shelter, or source of income to depend on but stay put apparently fuelled by hope that things perhaps would get better eventually.
”The city is inundated with Senegalese and other African nationals grappling with unemployment thanks to their undocumented status. Many also struggle to find shelter, as the state’s resources to assist them have been depleted, spent on those who came before them” he explains.
”It’s very disheartening to see our brothers from Africa struggling on the streets of this city, even begging for handouts just to survive from a bare minimum” he adds forlornly.
Ndiaye finds it impossible to wrap his head around the logic of spending millions trying to reach the US when that money could have been better invested in businesses in the home countries of illegal migrants.
”In most cases the returns on their investments could significantly improve their lives” he suggests.
Another New York resident, who identifies himself as simply Matar, says the look of whole neighbourhoods has changed with the presence of the migrants who arrive on the ‘exodus train from Africa’, living off the streets near gas stations, and grocery stores.
“The situation for many of them is dire and they resort to approaching shoppers to ask for money because they don’t have food to eat,” he points out ruefully.
The problem for the US is jumbling up everyday as it applies controlling measures.
Under the regulations, illegal migrants who cross into the US without authorization barring exceptional circumstances would not be eligible for asylum.
Migrants who cross its southern border unlawfully and are processed for expedited removal will be screened if they manifest a fear of returning to their country or demonstrate their intention to apply for asylum.
Senior administration officials say they expect to remove individuals who dont fit these profiles “in a matter of days, if not hours.”
Meanwhile steady waves of humanity keep aiming for the border and bringing pressure to bear on the US’s capacity to cope with others like Modou Diop who are homeless, jobless and helpless.
Buya Jammeh is a Gambian-American journalist living and working in the United States