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TECUN UMAN, Guatemala – A caravan bound for the United States, which once had more than 3,000 Central American migrants, appeared to be about a third of that size on Saturday morning when its remaining members woke up on a bridge that separated the borders. from Guatemala and Mexico waiting to cross a level crossing guarded by hundreds of Mexican federal police.
Hundreds of migrants have already crossed, some legally, others not. It is unclear whether some have just turned around.
The group broke through a fence at the Guatemalan border on Friday and rushed to the bridge across the Suchiate River, challenging the authorities to order him to cross the border in an orderly manner 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 people on the bridge between the two countries.
Police and immigration officers 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 of waiting, jumped off the bridge in the river on Friday. 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.
On Saturday, at dawn, hundreds of migrants woke up among the garbage already accumulated on the bridge. Without bathrooms, a foul odor floated in the air.
Jose Yanez had slept without a blanket, but had 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.
Other migrants managed to rest under tarpaulins and plastic sheeting.
Alison Danisa cried kneeling on the floor, squeezing her naked baby for 11 months against her chest.
"We have suffered so much. She has a fever and we have not brought anything, "she said, pointing to the baby's bottom to indicate that he had no diapers.
On Friday, a Mexican Navy official with a loudspeaker approached the door and told the migrants that they would be trucked to a "humanitarian monitoring center" in Tapachula. , a border town of the Mexican state of Chiapas. But the manager did not say when it would happen.
Later in the night, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said in a speech to the nation that a large group of migrants had "tried to enter the Mexican territory in an irregular manner, attacking and even wounding some elements of the federal police ".
"Mexico does not allow and will not allow entry into its territory irregularly, let alone violently," he said.
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.
The US president made it clear to Mexico that he was watching his response. On Thursday, he threatened to close the US border if Mexico did not stop the caravan. Later in the day, he tweeted a video of the Mexican Federal Police deployed at the Guatemalan border and wrote, "Thank you Mexico, we look forward to working with you!"
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.
On Thursday, Videgaray sought the help of the US government to deal with what Mexico expects to see as a large number of asylum applications.
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 generally bottomed out 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.
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, disseminated, rewritten or redistributed.
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