Residents of various communities in Oaxaca oppose hosting migrant caravans.
Merchants and transporters see economic benefits with the arrival of migrants, to whom they sell food and drinks, rent bathrooms and transport them to neighboring municipalities.
But at the social level, there are effects such as accumulation of garbage, fights over the use of electricity and robberies.
Humberto Parrazales, municipal president of San Pedro Tapanatepec, recalled that in 2022 and 2023 the migrant population overwhelmed them and “collapsed services and commerce.”
Mayor Tania Isabel Escobar, of Santo Domingo Zanatepec, points out that the property where the migrant caravans arrive is not owned by the municipality but by the ejido, so the ejidatarios must be paid their rent and later invested in cleaning the place.
For this reason, at the beginning of the year, the authorities of Santiago Niltepec and Santo Domingo Ingenio informed the National Institute of Migration that they would not allow the entry of caravans.
In this way, the migrants were referred to the town of La Venta de Juchitán. But after the passage of two caravans, the entry permit was withdrawn due to complaints from the population, especially regarding security.
Roque Altamirano Matus, municipal authority of La Venta, said that on several occasions, residents took migrants to the municipal office in the midst of attempts to take justice into their own hands.
This weekend, the arrival of a migrant caravan called ‘Cristo Vive’ is expected.
It is made up of almost a thousand members, but by the time it enters Juchitán it is expected to grow to 3,000 members.
It will be in the municipality where its route to follow towards Mexico City will be defined, whether through Oaxaca or Veracruz.
Source: lopezdoriga
