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(TECUN UMAN, Guatemala) – A caravan bound for the United States, which once reunited more than 3,000 Central American migrants, appeared to represent about a third of that size on Saturday morning, when its remaining members woke up on a bridge that separates the borders of Guatemala and Mexico and waited to cross a level crossing guarded by hundreds of Mexican federal police.
Hundreds of migrants have already crossed, some legally, others not. Others left their places on the bridge to eat in a nearby Guatemalan town. It is unclear whether some have just turned around.
The group crossed a fence at the Guatemalan border on Friday and rushed to the bridge over the Suchiate River, challenging the authorities to demand an orderly crossing and threats of retaliation from US President Donald Trump. They were greeted by a wall of police armed with riot shields and only about fifty migrants managed to make their way before the police released pepper spray. The others withdrew, joining the sea of peoples in limbo between the two countries.
At an event held Friday in Scottsdale, Arizona, the US president made it clear to Mexico that he was watching his response.
"So, from that moment, I thank Mexico. I hope they continue. But from then on, I thank Mexico, "he said. "If it does not work, we call the army – not the guard."
He also warned the migrants that they should turn around.
"They do not come to this country," he said.
On Friday, Mexican police and immigration officials began to let small groups of 10, 20 or 30 people at a time want to apply for refugee status. Once they filed a complaint, they had the opportunity to go to a shelter to spend the night there.
Other migrants, tired to wait, jumped from the bridge into the river. Some have organized a rope brigade to cross its muddy waters or have crossed rafts driven by local residents who usually charge a dollar or two for the crossing.
Carlos Rodriguez, 20, crossed Suchiate River in a raft and reached the Mexican coast. "I'm proud," he said after landing on Mexican soil.
Hundreds of others woke up among the garbage that has already accumulated on the bridge. Without bathrooms, a foul odor floated in the air.
Jose Yanez slept without a blanket, but vowed to continue.
"From there, we continue. From there, there is no turning back, "said the 25-year-old farmer, adding that he produced 150 lempiras a day in Honduras, or about US $ 6, without any compensation from job.
The organizers of the caravan seemed to want to avoid a repeat of the race at the border with Guatemala.
Women and children headed to the front of the caravan on Saturday, while the men were at the back.
They also moved about 9 meters away from the gate that separates them from the Mexican police to establish a buffer zone.
In the late evening, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said that "Mexico does not allow and will not allow entry into its territory irregularly, let alone violently."
Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez tweeted Friday night to talk to his Guatemalan counterpart, Jimmy Morales, and ask permission to send Honduran civil protection personnel to the bridge to help the migrants.
"I have also requested permission to rent ground transportation for anyone who wishes to return and an airlift for the special cases of women, children, the elderly and the sick," he said. tweeted Hernandez.
Hernandez and Morales are expected to meet in Guatemala on Saturday to discuss the situation.
Acner Adolfo Rodriguez, 30, one of the last migrants to cross the border crossing with Guatemala, said he hoped to find work and a better life away from widespread poverty and gang violence. Honduras, one of the most deadly countries in the world.
"Let Trump's heart be touched and let us go," Rodriguez said.
Mexican officials said that people with valid passports and visas – only a tiny minority of those trying to cross – would be admitted immediately.
Migrants wishing to take refuge in Mexico are welcome, they added, but those who decide to cross illegally and are captured will be arrested and deported.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Friday in Mexico City with Pena Nieto and Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray. The caravan held a prominent place in the agenda.
At a press conference with Videgaray, Pompeo called the illegal migration a "crisis" and stressed "the importance of ending this flow before it reaches the border "while recognizing the right of Mexico to manage the crisis in a sovereign manner.
"Mexico will make its decision," said Pompeo. "Its leaders and people will decide how best to achieve what I believe to be our common goals."
Upon his arrival at the Mexico City airport before leaving, Pompeo said that four officers of the Mexican Federal Police had been wounded during the confrontation at the border and expressed his sympathy.
Migrants have banded together to travel massively in recent years, but this caravan was unusual in its size, said Victor Clark Alfaro, a professor of Latin American studies at San Diego State University. In comparison, a caravan in April also attracting Trump's anger amounted to about 1,000 people.
"It's obvious that the number of people in this type of caravan is increasing," said Alfaro. "It's a migration of another dimension."
Elizabeth Oglesby, a professor at the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Arizona, said that caravans join this caravan because it's a way to travel relatively safely and avoid to pay thousands of dollars to the smugglers. She challenged Pompeo's claim that there is a "crisis" of migration.
"The border is not in crisis. This is not a migration crisis. … Yes, we are seeing activity peaks in Central America, but migration has globally reached its lowest level in 40 years, "Oglesby said.
While speaking on the Televisa network, Videgaray did not seem to worry about the threat of closing the US-Mexico border by Trump.
Videgaray noted that one million people cross the border legally every day and that their trade accounts for about $ 1 million.
"Before making such decisions," said Videgaray, "there would be many people in the United States … who would consider the consequences."
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Associate Press Editors Peter Orsi, Christopher Sherman and Maria Verza in Mexico contributed to this report.
