Gabriel Horț is one of the Romanians who chose to spend a vacation in Mexico at the beginning of February . He is 33 years old, and ten years ago he was a volunteer in South America , in French Guiana, where he also studied the Traditions of the Amerindians. Gabriel is one of the tourists who managed to inform the Romanian press about the ordeal they were going through at the Cancun airport. Gabriel finally arrived home, took a deep breath and put into words the memories of the horror experienced during the “exotic” vacation in Mexico.
"FBI, CIA, DEA are checking, but it will take a while"
On February 1, 2021, at 16:30 PM local time, we landed in Cancun. We were among the first to arrive at the customs office, where we were met by several security guards, who asked us if we were from Romania , after which they directed us to aisle number 1. Once there, our passports were checked, without being asked if we had the travel documents (hotel reservations and return plane ticket). After this passport check, our mobile phones were asked and taken away and we were led to two rooms, in front of the customs offices, where we had to wait, without being informed why. In the meantime, more and more Romanians were directed to the two very small rooms, arriving in a very small space, about 45 people, all of Romanian nationality. After more than an hour or even more, a gentleman came who introduced himself as one of the airport officials and told us that we had done nothing wrong, to rest assured, that it was just a more thorough check. He also told us that the US authorities , through the FBI, CIA and the Drug Enforcement Agency, were doing checks and that it would take a little longer.
After another two hours, we are informed by the same airport official that all the Romanians will be "deported" on the next flight. I asked him what the reason was and his answer was "That's what the Mexican government wants". All this time we asked for water, I told them that if they can't give us water, to talk to the airline and bring it to us. We were totally ignored, heckled and threatened with arrest if we commented any more. I received drinking water after more than 10 hours, after which something to eat followed. I understood that the food was sent by the Romanians settled in Cancun and by the Honorary Consul in Cancun and even by friends.
I explained to the customs people that what they are doing is illegal, that our fundamental human rights are being violated, that we are next to Romanian citizens and EU citizens, but they laughed in our faces
On the first evening we spent there, they told us that there was no problem and that we would leave with the same flight, the one we came with, but which had taken off a few hours earlier. It was then that I understood that we were being lied to and that it would be safest to stay in the airport until the next flight, which was the next day. Among us were families with children, elderly people and even people who had heart problems. The other Romanians were placed in "arrest" in another waiting room in the international area of the airport. We were led to the toilet each time in a group and assisted by at least two security guards, sometimes even by 3-4 people. I explained to the customs people that what they are doing is illegal, that our fundamental human rights are being violated, that we are alongside Romanian citizens and EU citizens, but they laughed in our faces.
In the first part of the night, we sat on the floor and on chairs, being later counted and re-counted, and the girls were promised by the airport officials that they would take them to sleep in heated spaces and with sleeping bags. A few people accepted and were sent to an airport detention room, a very small room where there were 9 seats. Before this, they were dispossessed of all their personal belongings, which were locked up elsewhere, in another room. I specify that we were all locked with the key, in all the spaces where we were "accommodated". Two ladies, among the 9 people who agreed to go to that "more humane" space, as the people at the airport called it, caused a scandal and were brought back with us, to the original detention space. One of the ladies was claustrophobic, and the ceiling was very low, it was very cold in there, and you had to hand over your hand luggage, money, everything you had. Considering that the two seats in this hall were freed, they came and told us to decide and two of us to go there, which we refused. Then they got angry and forcibly took a girl and a boy upstairs, the girl being very psychologically affected by the law enforcement brutality and lack of empathy. They shot at them, swore at them, and I only saw them again when they were boarded for deportation the next day. The airport security people fucked one of the girls and said that we thought we came to 5 stars. When we asked them for something to eat, they told us that it was no problem, they specially ordered a Chef for us, who comes specially to the airport to cook for us.... I found out later that in that room, the toilet was with a door only half open and that when it was necessary for one of the people held there to do their normal physiological work, so that they wouldn't be heard and wouldn't feel stupid, they "invented" a game, so to speak. They were clapping and singing throughout the "situation".
Basically, I was like in a movie script, where the arrested mentally succumb
The first night, after the shift change and the start of the hour, we thought we could use the internet, a tablet that we had in our handbag. (I should point out that there were surveillance systems in every detention room). Then I asked one of my friends to write from the handbag to a colleague from the press, while we stood guard and covered him so that he wouldn't be seen on the cameras. Immediately, I thought that the best thing I could do was to post on my Facebook page. I should point out that up until this point, we weren't allowed to contact the embassy or our parents, our close family members. The first night, we slept 3-4 people on a mattress and some of us on chairs or on the floor.
On the second evening, after the hopes of returning to Romania were zero, we found out that the next flights are on February 5th. Then we started to succumb to fatigue, we had little hope of being able to rest and take a shower, some of us started to argue, some of us didn't have mattresses, basically we were like in a movie script, where the arrested they succumb mentally. We calmed down and were able to sleep for 2 hours.. Every time they brought us food, we could only receive it after agreeing to take pictures of us with the food and water in our hands. They made us sign that we were getting food. Sometimes they would wake us up and shout, "It's dinner time!" at two o'clock in the morning, local time, they also brought us rotten food, which smelled terrible. There were times when they didn't bring us any food or water during the day, and there were times when they brought us hour by hour, even though we told them we couldn't eat that much. They probably had to make up for the pictures, for the hours when I didn't get anything. Also on the second night, they came to us to tell us that we had to move and leave that waiting room and take us to another terminal, together with the Romanians who arrived that evening, over 100 people. I refused, saying that we don't want to spend so much time together, that we don't want to get infected with Covid. Then they sent the army to intimidate and stood in front of us for more than two hours to force us to leave. In the end they gave in and we ended up staying in the same room.
On the third day, February 3, we were visited for the first time by a Romanian official
Mr. Consul Ionut Vîlcu told us that he would enter negotiations with the airport/customs, but that our chances of entering Mexico were low and that a solution was being sought together with the airline. After two hours, the same Consul announced that we could enter Mexico, after the authorities checked us individually. I would also like to specify that a young Romanian, detained with us, suffered from diabetes and requested an insulin injection from his checked luggage, but was refused. They brought him the injection on the last day, after the consul arrived at the airport. Of course, after they took the corresponding photo of him. A degrading, terrible experience , which will not go unpunished.
Even though it was a devastating experience , I now look at the world with different eyes. I met special Romanians in the 72 hours I spent there, we were helped by strangers, friends and colleagues, and our situation became Breaking NEWS for a few days, thanks to my colleagues in the press. And thank you very much for that. You are wonderful.
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