[ad_1]
CIUDAD HIDALGO, Mexico – Hundreds of Central American migrants arrived in southern Mexico late Friday and early Saturday, taking small rafts on the narrow river from Guatemala, before continuing their route to the United States.
President Trump seems to hope that the migrant caravan will galvanize its base before the mid-term elections next month. He took advantage of the threat while he had been right to the GOP candidates last week. "These are bad people coming. They are not babies, they are not little angels entering our country, "he told the White House on Friday.
At a rally Saturday in Elko, Nevada, Trump mistakenly suggested that the Democratic Party was behind the caravan and thanked Mexico for helping to deter migrants.
But along the border between Mexico and Guatemala, it was clear Saturday that to stop the caravan, it would require both resources and a will that, until now, is lacking.
While hundreds of migrants were waiting at an official border crossing point, behind a fence erected by the Mexican authorities, hundreds – if not thousands – more have given up crossing legally. Instead, they swam or took small rafts in Mexico.
Mexican authorities watched the migrants arrive, sometimes patting them, but allowing them to go to the central square of Ciudad Hidalgo, where the Central Americans held an informal meeting, cheering "Si, se puede", whenever more migrants arrived.
A Central American migrant is holding a child while he goes down from a bridge to avoid the border checkpoint in Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico on Saturday. (Edgard Garrido / Reuters)
"I did not think it would be so easy," said Samuel Barela, 17, who rafted on Friday night, about a week after leaving his hometown of Choluteca, in southern Honduras. Like many migrants, he said he was looking for a job in the United States and a lifebuoy from his poor city.
The border between Mexico and Guatemala has long been known for its porosity. Most days, the goods are exchanged by raft, while the authorities of both countries affix passports on the official deck above. It has never been particularly difficult for migrants to cross the border, and the arrival of the caravan has made enforcement even more difficult, despite the recent deployment by Mexico of additional federal police.
"With so many people here, there is no way to control them," said Juan Carlos Arana, who works for one of the informal raft companies.
As migrants gathered in the center of this small town in Chiapas State, they shared stories of the life they left behind. Some wore Honduran flags. For many, the decision to join the caravan was made without much thought. They left home without telling their families, without packing, without informing their chief that they would not return to work.
"I chose the caravan in an instant," said Eduardo Martinez, 25, also of Choluteca.
Some members of the migrant caravan are waiting to be brought back to Honduras from Ciudad Tecun Uman, Guatemala, on Saturday. The Guatemalan government offered free transportation to immigrants who decided not to continue their journey. (John Moore / Getty Images)
"As soon as I heard about it on TV, I decided right away," said 34-year-old Nestor Rogelio Reyes.
Reyes said he was expelled from the United States last year after spending eight years in Columbus, Ohio. He left two American girls and an American wife. "A white lady," he said.
He knew that he would eventually try to return to the United States and the caravan offered him a rare opportunity: it would allow him to go to the US border without paying coyote or smuggler and with a lower risk of getting into the United States. kidnapping or extortion.
Like many other members of the caravan, Reyes only had a vague idea of what he would do once arrived at the US border. Some migrants have announced their intention to seek asylum. Others have suggested that they may have to try to cross illegally.
On Saturday, it was still unclear whether and how the Mexican authorities would allow migrants to head north.
This is how the migrants camped on the square, some on the stage of a small open air amphitheater. This is where Marjorie Milla, 21, slept with her 5-year-old daughter Stephanie.
"Back home, gangs kill whoever they want," said Milla.
She had told Stephanie that they were going to the United States, where it would be easier for her to study. The little girl, with a short brown ponytail, smiles widely, imagining her life there.
"I can play more," she said.
The Mexican government said in a statement that it received "asylum applications" from 640 migrants, including 104 minors. He stated that he "privileged at all times the human right of any foreigner to benefit from the protection of the Mexican state".
Mexican authorities have stated that the age of the youngest migrant treated was 3 months.
The country's National Institute of Migration has declined to comment on the apparent lack of control at the southern border of Mexico. The agency had set up a small checkpoint north of the city, where officials checked some of the vehicles heading north, about 2,500 km from the US border.
Read more
Hunger, not violence, fueling rising migration in Guatemala, says the United States
Pompeo meets Mexican officials as a migrant caravan approaches the north
Today's coverage of Swiss Post correspondents around the world
Love Washington Post World on Facebook and stay up to date on foreign news
[ad_2]Source link
