Mexico warns migrant caravan to avoid deportation after Trump threat


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The Mexican government warned Wednesday migrants from Central America moving north in a caravan to avoid detention and deportation to their home country, a decision that follows President TrumpDonald John TrumpThe five takeaways of Cruz, the debate between O & # 39; Rourke and Arpaio sues defamation against New York Times Christine Lagarde IMF delays her trip to the Middle East MORE warning that he could cut off help if the caravan is not stopped.

In a joint statement, the country's foreign and interior secretaries abstained from closing the country's southern border with Hondurans, but said Mexico would enforce its immigration laws.

"In accordance with the national legislation in force, any person entering the country irregularly will be saved and subjected to an administrative procedure and, if necessary, will be returned to his country of origin in a safe and orderly manner", reads the statement.

About 3,000 Honduran nationals crossed Honduras on Monday to Guatemala, with the declared intention of seeking asylum in the United States. The caravan has since reached more than 4,000 people, according to a report by NBC News.

Mexico also assigned an additional 500 federal police officers to patrol the border with Guatemala before the arrival of the caravan.

Mexico's decision is the latest in a series of actions by regional governments to separate from the caravan after Trump tweeted On Tuesday, he informed Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez that "if the large caravan of people heading to the United States is not stopped and returned to Honduras, the money and aid will no longer be immediately granted. in Honduras "

Guatemalan authorities have arrested a caravan organizer, Bartolo Fuentes, who is also a former Honduran lawmaker.

The Honduran authorities issued a statement in which they urged "Hondurans participating in this irregular mobilization not to be used by a clearly political movement," reported Reuters.

And a senior Trump administration official told reporters at the White House on Wednesday that "this caravan did not occur naturally".

Mexico's response has, however, been tempered by instructions to migrants on how to legally enter and seek asylum in the country, "in line with a migration policy that respects the human rights of all migrants and international humanitarian law, recognizes the right to free movement of persons, and the right of everyone to claim refugee status. "

Mexican authorities have stated that incoming migrants from Central America would be allowed to enter the country through official entry points if they have a visa or if they are planning to apply for it. 39; asylum.

The Mexican authorities have stated that all asylum seekers and incoming asylum seekers will remain in detention in migration centers for up to 90 days until their application is processed. .

Nevertheless, Mexico's southern border is porous and thousands of Central American migrants cross it, legally or illegally, without being arrested by the Mexican authorities.

A record number of Central American families crossed the US-Mexico border in September, according to a Washington Post report, after crossing the Mexican border.

The growth in the number of crossings for families during the year was largely due to increasing emigration from Guatemala and, to a lesser extent, from Honduras, according to figures released monthly by the Department. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

CBP has not yet released official numbers of arrests at the border in September.

Trump administration officials attribute immigration policies "catch-libel" – Trump's description of legal limits on family detention – to skyrocket the number of border crossings based on family .

"On the news in Guatemala, they say you can get a work permit if you're in a family, if you come with your child, and you're going to be released," said Henry Lucero of Phoenix Field. Office director for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in an interview with Arizona radio station KTAR on Monday.

Adam Isacson, a security expert in Central America in the Washington office in Latin America, told The Hill in an email that many other critical factors were at stake, including a drought in the highlands of northern Guatemala and a crime fueled by a drug cartel.

But Isacson added that smugglers also play a role, claiming on social media and community radio that the Trump administration's respite on family separations at the US-Mexico border is only temporary.

"[It’s] It is unclear to what extent this suggests that the separation of families has ended, but that something more radical could happen soon. So we are in a period of repression, "wrote Isacson.

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