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Honduran migrants rest in an improvised shelter in Esquipulas, Guatemala. From San Pedro Sula, Honduras, a group of more than 1,000 Honduran migrants arrived in Esquipulas, Guatemala, on October 15. (Daniele Volpe / For the Washington Post)
Joshua Partlow
Correspondent focused on Mexico, Central America and other regions of Latin America
ESQUIPULAS, Guatemala – A caravan of Honduran migrants bound for the United States crossed the southern border of Guatemala on Monday night and quickly prompted a reprimand from President Trump, who threatened to withdraw assistance in Honduras if it did not call back its citizens.
The migrant caravan numbered more than 1,000 people and is expected to continue to grow as it moves north through Guatemala and Mexico. Tuesday morning, after the group entered Guatemala, Trump wrote on Twitter He informed Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández that "if the large caravan of people heading to the United States is not stopped and returned to Honduras, no further aid will be paid to Honduras, as of now. ! "
Migrants – who say they are looking for work, a better life for their families and an escape from gang threats and violent communities – were blocked on Monday at the border between Honduras and Guatemala by Guatemalan police in uniform riot before being finally allowed to pass. They camped for the night at a Catholic school in Esquipulas, in the south of the country, and continued north on Tuesday morning.
Trump has made these migrant caravans a symbol of all that is wrong with the US immigration policies. Earlier this year, Trump's critics turned a previous migrant caravan into a show, with daily media coverage of the trip. This episode provoked a dispute between the United States and Mexico and served to justify the deployment of National Guard troops at the border.
Honduran migrants are lining up to receive food at an improvised shelter in Esquipulas, Guatemala. (Daniele Volpe / For the Washington Post)
This time, Mexico has announced its intention to stop the caravan.
When migrants arrive at the southern border of Mexico, "migration staff will verify compliance with legal requirements and those who do not comply will not be allowed to enter," the National Institute said in a statement. of Migration, the government agency for government migration. Tuesday.
Homeland Security Department spokeswoman Katie Waldman said Monday in a statement that the current caravan "is what we see day and night at the border as a result of well-known and well-communicated communication loopholes." released ".
"As we have said time and time again, until Congress acts, we will continue to have de facto open borders that guarantee future" caravans "and a record number of family cells illegally entering in the country, "said Waldman.
By "snagging", the administration refers to the current practice of US immigration authorities of briefly detaining migrants and asylum seekers before releasing them with anklets while their immigration file is pending. Since the last caravan, a few hundred people have applied for asylum in the United States, but it is unclear how much remains in the country or if any of them have gotten asylum.
This time, the caravan of migrants seems to be even bigger than before, with estimates of up to 3,000 people, according to volunteers working with the group. Some migrants plan to settle in Mexico, but most intend to reach the United States and many want to apply for asylum. Traveling in large groups provides added security for what is a dangerous journey through Mexico; this also allows people to save thousands of dollars that they could otherwise pay for a smuggler.
"I saw the caravan on the news," said Maria Amparo Gutierrez Garcia, 24, who let her 7-year-old daughter in Honduras join the migrants with her husband. "At the same time, I decided to come. I did not want to miss this opportunity. "
Honduran migrants are lining up to receive food at an improvised shelter in Esquipulas, Guatemala. (Daniele Volpe / For the Washington Post)
After the confrontation at the border, the migrants entered Esquipulas and gathered in a Catholic school, where church volunteers distributed pasta sandwiches and plates. Shortly after arriving, at least three migrants, including two children, were embarked in ambulances, apparently suffering from exhaustion or dehydration after hours spent walking and waiting in the sun.
Joel Garcia, a construction worker from the 22-year-old Honduran coastal town of Tela, joined the caravan after being expelled from Mexico last year in a previous attempt to reach the United States. He added that gangs had killed members of his family and that he could not earn enough money to support his diabetic mother. Saturday morning, he left the house wearing Nike flip flops for the journey of nearly 3,000 kilometers; later, someone gave him a pair of socks.
"I left without telling my wife," he said. "I did not want her to suffer."
Garcia had teamed up with a new friend, Brian Sanchez, an 18-year-old high school graduate who aspired to work in the computer but could not find employment in Honduras. Sanchez called his mother Sunday to tell him that he had joined the caravan.
"She said," You're crazy, "he recalls," but I want something better for myself and my sister. "
Honduran migrants rest in an improvised shelter in Esquipulas, Guatemala. (Daniele Volpe / For the Washington Post)
These caravans are organized by migrant rights advocates and have been held for several years to raise public awareness of the situation of violence and poverty in Central America and Mexico. But generally, they passed with little notice and in smaller numbers. At the previous caravan in April, the numbers diminished by the time they reached the US border.
The Honduran government did not react immediately to the threat of a cut in Trump funds. Honduras is expected to receive US $ 66 million in FY 2019.
Since taking office, the Trump administration has reduced aid to Central America, which has sparked criticism from leaders in the region. Last month, Hernandez told Reuters that the reduction in aid "will obviously have repercussions," including increased immigration, as previous efforts were aimed at "tackling the problem of migration to the root." ".
In a speech last week, Vice President Pence thanked the Honduran president for his efforts in immigration and said the United States was "grateful". Honduras had agreed to double its border police force from 400 to 800 people by 2020.
Caravans are more and more known, they attract more and more people. Among those who came to Esquipulas on Monday were children and people with disabilities.
A Honduran migrant rests in an improvised shelter in Esquipulas, Guatemala. (Daniele Volpe / For the Washington Post)
The cities they cross in Central America and Mexico often offer them warm receptions, with volunteers from communities distributing supplies to them.
"People give us food by the kindness of their hearts," said Sanchez. "Only your President Donald Trump does not love us."
Kevin Sieff in Mexico City and Nick Miroff in Washington contributed to this report.
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