After two attempts, the second caravan of Salvadoran migrants is already roaming the roads of Mexico

The second caravan of Salvadoran migrants arrived in Mexico on Friday afternoon, November 2, after crossing the Suchiate River, the natural border between Guatemala and Mexico. More than 1,700 compatriots are part of this group that left El Salvador Wednesday, October 31 for the United States.

Migrants decided to venture into the waters of Suchiate after the first failure on Friday morning. attempt to cross the border by the bridge over the river. From four o'clock in the morning, the Salvadorans arrived at the door that protects the entrance to the bridge, on the Guatemalan side, with the intention of crossing the border to go to the Mexican territory.

by telephone with the Mexican Consul in Tecún Umán, Mauricio Ituarte. The Salvadoran asked that the caravan be allowed to cross and not be divided into groups, as was the case of the Mexican authorities. The official asked to speak with the competent authorities.

Migrants sat down to wait on asphalt. In front of the caravan, three young men were carrying the flag of El Salvador. Group leaders have asked that they maintain calm and order. "The caravans of Hondurans have gone into violence, we want to make a difference," they said through a small speaker so that everyone can hear.

President of the United States, Donald Trump, badured that he could send up to 15,000 troops to the border. with Mexico before the arrival of thousands of Central America. Photo EDH / Lissette Lemus

It was nearly two hours before Consul Ituarte arrived at the site where Salvadoran migrants were waiting. He took the speaker to say that the pbadage would be open and that the caravan could cross, provided that the group maintains order by entering. And they did it. Salvadoran migrants walked one after another along the sidewalk of the Suchiate River Bridge. They walked for several minutes. The three young men, with the Salvadoran flag, led the battle.

When they reached the border post on the Mexican side, the caravan found a gate closed, reinforced and guarded by the police. "Mexico is not a country of pbadage," he said, on the other side of the fence, the delegate of the Mexican Immigration Authority. He said that, according to the law of this country, any person wishing to enter must register and provide their data in order to participate in the asylum application program, where they would not have permission. to stay only 45 days. Salvadorans rejected this option.

For the caravan, everything is part of the "strategy" of the Mexican authorities to dissolve the group. They insist they do not want the documents or the status of the refugees in Mexico and claim that they can move freely through the Aztec land to the US border. "We just want to borrow the land to walk," said Ramón Torres, on this side of the fence, to the migrant delegate who did not get too close.

The Mexican immigration authorities have tried to explain to the representatives of the caravan: Ramón Torres and Marvin Lovo, declare that the law of their country does not provide for free transit or pbadage without registration and that, if they wish, they must comply with the provisions of the refuge as the only option. Salvadorans continued to refuse to accept the conditions and threatened not to leave the bridge until they agreed to their requests. "We have no more water or food, if we die, it will be their fault," they shout at the police and immigration officials.

Ramon Torres gives instructions to the entire group while they wait in the central park of Tecún Umán. Photo EDH / Lissette Lemus

The caravan considers that the shelters where they take the migrants and refugees are actually places of control where they keep the undocumented until the end of the refuge and can return to their countries

The discussion between the caravan representatives and the migrant delegates lasted several minutes at the door on the Mexican side. After a few hours and without Mexico giving a positive answer to their requests. For example, most of the Salvadoran migrants who were on the bridge decided to turn around and return to Guatemala. They returned to the central park of Tecún Umán with the intention of reorganizing and trying to cross the river to go to Mexico in the afternoon.

Marvin Lovo, one of the representatives of the caravan to Mexican agents, said that the delegate The main delegation of the Mexican delegation has downplayed the protests of Salvadorans: "The delegate for migration has just said that he was mocking whether the children were starving or thirsty here on the bridge.It is your problem if they die, "denounced Lovo, who told them the delegate.

On the way to the river

Not even two hours after his first attempt to cross the border, when the caravan of migrants left the Central Park of Tecún Umán heading towards the banks of the Suchiate River for pretend to cross again to Mexican territory.

Immediately, dozens of police officers from the migrating forces appeared on the other side of the river, following the steps closely. The caravan of Salvadorans traveled about three kilometers upstream: they were looking for a suitable place to cross the other end.

They wandered between two Guatemalan communities and people left their homes to cheer them up. "Go, your fight is ours too," shouted a woman from the door of her house. "If they want water, come in, I will give them as much as they want," said another, by the side of the road. "If they do not pbad, they can stay at home," offered a woman holding a baby in her arms.

Photo EDH / Lissette Lemus

Federal agents still pursued the caravan of migrants en route. At one point, they even provoked Salvadorans by inviting them to cross, calling them by hand or even whistling them to see them again. At that time, there were more than fifty policemen who could see each other from Guatemala.

The caravan did not weaken and remained welded all along the way. the pressure added speed to their footsteps. During the last kilometer of the road, they lost sight of them. Salvadorans were overwhelmed with energy, defeated the Mexican "migra" and were ready to jump into the water.

Hundreds of Salvadorans crossed the Suchiate River. Photo EDH / Lissette Lemus

They did it in a free field, in a narrow area of ​​the river. The first arrived arrived immediately. The back hesitated a little. When the team before was in the middle of the stage, a patrol appeared on the other side with the sirens activated. However, they decided not to stop. They reached the other end. The federals did not block their pbadage and allowed them to enter Mexican territory.

Children, women, the elderly, youth and adults walked with water at the waist. They struggled with the current, carrying bags and backpacks on their backs and shoulders. They carried the weight of their belongings: the ones they could carry, because some had to leave them on the shore.

This encouraged the undecided and in a few minutes, a hundred Salvadorans were in the water. Half an hour was enough for most of his compatriots to cross the waters of Suchiate furious. Even after an hour, the latecomers of the caravan did not stop trying their luck. At one o'clock in the afternoon, the second caravan was already on the roads of Mexico and would spend the night in Tapachula.