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Hondurans, fleeing poverty and violence, are seen here in San Pedro Sula. They are heading to the United States
(Reuters)
Hundreds of Honduran migrants head for the US border, just days after Vice President Pence met with the Central American leader, urging him to take a tougher stance on mass migration .
At least 1,300 people, including young children, left San Pedro Sula on Saturday in northern Honduras, as part of what some call the "Migrant March," Reuters reported.
Bartolo Fuentes, the organizer, told the news agency that the group plans to cross Guatemala and Mexico. From there, participants will apply for refugee status, which would allow them to stay in the country, or they will apply for a visa to enter the United States.
A young man carries a child in the caravan of Hondurans.
(Reuters)
This development comes just days after the meeting between Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales and Salvadorian Vice President Oscar Ortiz, urging them to intensify in the fight against illegal immigration in return for the help from the United States.
Mr. Pence addressed the three leaders Thursday in Washington at the Conference on Prosperity and Security in Central America.
"If you do more, I am here to say on behalf of the President of the United States and the American people that we will do more," he said.
Pence said that illegal immigrant flows from Honduras and Guatemala increased by 61% and 75%, respectively.
From the left; Oscar Ortiz, Vice President of El Salvador, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs Luis Videgaray, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary to Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, Secretary of State for Government Alfonso Navarrete and Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales pose for photos before the Second Conference for Prosperity and Security in Central America at the State Department on Thursday.
(AP)
According to the Reuters report, 64% of Honduran households live in poverty. A large number of migrants are fleeing a poor economy and having one of the highest crime rates in the world.
Hernandez told Pence that he would like to have more certainty on what to expect from the United States, as funds requested by the Trump administration are lower than allowances from previous years.
The Trump administration offered $ 460 million in assistance last year, 30 percent less than Congress approved in 2016 under Barack Obama's presidency.
Mass migration has become a growing problem at the border. In May, nearly 200 Central American migrants tried to seek asylum in the United States after traveling with a caravan of more than 1,000 migrants.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
