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GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala – For days, they headed north from home in Honduras, walking, taking buses and hitchhiking in cars and trucks. They only carried the essentials in small bags and backpacks.
As the large caravan of migrants entered Guatemala to visit the United States, more and more people joined the march, which split into smaller units. On Wednesday evening, some people stopped to rest and sleep in Guatemala City. There were many families and pregnant women in the ranks.
The caravan – no less than 4,000 people according to some estimates – sparked an avalanche of tweets from President Trump, who threatened Thursday military action on the southwestern border of the United States if Mexico failed to stop the group .
The participants of the caravan make the trip for several reasons. Some say they are fleeing gangs that terrorize their neighborhoods and seek refuge in Mexico or the United States. Others are looking for work and greater stability for their families.
On Wednesday night, hundreds of people gathered at a migrant shelter in Guatemala City and went to bed at a nearby school. More scores slept in the streets. We asked several of them why they had chosen to travel north and what they had left behind.
"We do not go because we want fancy things. "
Fanny Rodríguez, 21, Santa Barbara, Honduras
"We are traveling so that my daughters have a better future," said Fanny Rodríguez, accompanied by her husband, Edil Moscoso, 26, and their two daughters, Daily Edith, 2, and Yarice, aged 9 months. "We are not going because we want fancy things."
She added: "I do not need to give them luxury, only what is necessary: that my daughters do not miss food, that my daughters do not miss clothes. Things like that."
The family had been greeted with great kindness and generosity by the Guatemalans who were crossing the country. Strangers had donated food and diapers. "We can not complain," said Rodríguez.
"She told me to remember her and the children."
Melvin Gómez, 26, San Pedro Sula, Honduras
Melvin Gómez intended to leave his home and migrate north in December, but when he heard about the caravan on television, he decided that it was now time to leave .
He called his wife and two children, who lived with relatives in La Ceiba, and said goodbye. "She told me to remember her and the children," he recalls.
"I hope everything goes well."
"There is no work, there is no money."
Ever Escalante, 27 years old, La Ceiba, Honduras
The family of five had only two suitcases between them, mostly wearing clothes and no sentimental meaning.
"We did not have anything important," Ever Escalante said.
He and his family – his wife Sarai Najera and their three young children – left their home in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, a year ago to settle in La Ceiba after being threatened by street gangs. . But they struggled to make ends meet and saw the caravan as a good opportunity to emigrate to the United States.
"Instead of moving forward, it's more like we've pulled back," he said. "There is no work, there is no money. That's what drives us out of the country. "
"I do not know if they are in front of or behind me."
Lindell Marroquín, 33 years old, La Ceiba, Honduras
Lindell Marroquín, a single mother with five daughters, started the journey with her brother and three of her children. Now she has only two of her daughters with her.
In chaos along the way, the family is separated. She said that her brother was somewhere with one of the girls, while she stayed with the other two, Dariana, 5, and Sofia, 1.
"I do not know if they are in front of or behind me," said Ms. Marroquín.
"We wanted to go to the United States to see if we could ask for two or three prostheses."
Nery Maldonado, 29 years old, San Pedro Sula, Honduras
Nery Maldonado had set out for the northern United States. He stopped en route to the Guatemalan city of Esquipulas. When the caravan arrived, he decided to join the procession.
Mr. Maldonado, who has no legs and uses a wheelchair, quickly became friends with another man making the same trip, Omar Orellana, 38 years old. They became traveling friends.
Mr. Maldonado has already made this trip. It was during this first test, In 2015, he lost his legs while driving a freight train bound for northern Mexico, according to the Associated Press.
"We decided to come because of the economic situation," said Maldonado. "We wanted to go to the United States to see if we could ask for two or three prostheses."
"You can not live in Honduras. There is no money. "
Jennifer Paola López, age 16, Yoro, Honduras
Jennifer Paola López, a farm worker, was traveling with a group of friends from her neighborhood. They had discussed the possibility of going to the United States in the past, but they did not have the money to cover travel costs or pay smugglers.
Then a neighbor told them about the caravan and Mrs. López and her friends decided to join us. She left her family behind, knowing that she was also hoping for a better life.
"There is no work or anything. You can not live in Honduras. There is no money, "she said. "There is no help from the government. There is nothing. "
Daniele Volpe was reported in Guatemala and Kirk Semple in Mexico City.
