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ISLA, Mexico – Thousands of suspicious migrants from Central America resumed Sunday their move to the United States, a day after disputes over the way ahead have seen some travelers separate from the main caravan, which enters in a treacherous part of his trip to Mexico.
The majority of some 4,000 migrants are now heading for what some have called the "road of death" to the city of Cordoba, Veracruz, which is about 124 km (200 km). The daily hike will be one of the longest to date, as the group of exhausted travelers tries to do everything in its power to the US border, hundreds of miles away.
The arduous journey has already claimed victims.
The day before, the group had been divided into divisions as the migrants quarreled with the caravan organizers and criticized Mexican officials before traveling alone to Puebla and Mexico City.
Some were disappointed after the caravan organizers unsuccessfully pleaded for the buses after a three-week drive. Others were angry to have been headed north through the state of Veracruz on the Gulf Coast, calling it "the way to death".
A hike through the sugar cane fields and orchards of Veracruz takes them to a state where hundreds of migrants have disappeared in recent years, plagued by kidnappers seeking ransom.
Authorities in Veracruz said in September they discovered the remains of at least 174 people buried in underground graves, raising questions about whether the bodies belonged to migrants.
But even with the somewhat more dispersed group, the majority of migrants who crossed Veracruz Sunday were convinced that traveling in mass was their best hope to leave their old lives behind and reach the United States. The vast majority of migrants are fleeing endemic poverty, gang violence and political instability mainly in the Central American countries of Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua.
"We think it's best to continue with the caravan. We will stay with her and respect the organizers, "said Luis Euseda, 32, from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, who travels with his wife Jessica Fugon. "Others have gone from the front, maybe they have no purpose, but we have a goal and that is to happen."
Mynor Chavez, 19, from Copan, Honduras, was determined to continue.
"I have no hope. I graduated as a computer technician and I did not even manage to find work, "he said of life in his homeland.
Desperate, Chavez is one of many people who crossed a river in Guatemala, Mexico, defying the authorities deployed to patrol the southern border of that country.
It remains to be seen whether the main group will now continue directly north, to Veracruz, to the nearest US border, or will move slightly west and stop in the country's capital.
The capital could serve as a better springboard for reaching more destinations along the US border. They may also receive additional support, although Mexican officials have been contradictory about whether they should help or hinder their travels.
Mexico is now facing the unprecedented situation of three caravans stretching over 500 km of highways in the states of Chiapas, Oaxaca and Veracruz, with a total of more than 6,000 migrants.
On Friday, a caravan from El Salvador crossed the Suchiate River in Mexico, bringing 1,000 to 1,500 people to reach the US border.
This caravan first tried to cross the bridge between Guatemala and Mexico, but the Mexican authorities told them that they should show their passports and visas and enter in groups of 50 to be processed.
Another caravan, which also numbers between 1,000 and 1,500 people, entered Mexico earlier this week and is currently in Chiapas. This group includes Hondurans, Salvadorans and some Guatemalans.
On 19 October, the first and largest group of migrants, mainly Hondurans, entered Mexico.
Immigration officers and police sometimes arrested migrants in smaller caravans. But several mayors have rolled out the welcome mat for migrants who have reached their city – organizing food and camping sites.
Mexico's Interior Ministry said nearly 3,000 of the first caravan's migrants had applied for asylum in Mexico and hundreds more had returned home.
With or without the help of the government, there is uncertainty ahead.
President Donald Trump has commanded US troops on the Mexican border in response to caravans. More than 7,000 active duty soldiers were deployed in Texas, Arizona and California before the mid-term elections.
He plans to sign an order next week that could lead to large-scale detention of migrants crossing the southern border and prohibit anyone illegally taken the right to apply for asylum.
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Amy Guthrie, Associated Press Editor in Mexico contributed to the writing of this report.
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, disseminated, rewritten or redistributed.
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