A caravan of 1,500 migrants left Mexico’s southern border on Monday despite statements by the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, and the president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, who said last week that these groups no longer reach the country’s northern border.
This contingent of undocumented immigrants, mostly from Venezuela, walked 26 kilometers and about 10 continuous hours from Tapachula, Chiapas, to Huehuetán, where they split into two groups.
The majority contingent advanced towards the municipality of Huixtla, while the second stayed to rest in the Huehuetán park.
In the exodus there are also Colombians, Haitians, Cubans and Central Americans, and from more distant regions such as the Middle East.
Venezuelan Joswes Linares told EFE that they have left in a caravan due to insecurity, kidnappings and extortion, so they prefer to walk in groups for greater security.
The South American said that they are speeding up the pace in view of the upcoming presidency of Trump, who last week denounced that a migrant caravan was approaching the United States.
“We fear that he will close the border because the appointment (for asylum in the United States) is delayed by six to seven months, many people are lucky, it would be worse for us (to wait), we are going to travel about a thousand kilometers,” he said.
The controversial migrant caravans
Last week, Sheinbaum assured in a call with Trump that, due to Mexico’s actions, the caravans “no longer reach” the border with the United States, while the president-elect has promised 25% tariffs on Mexican products if he does not stop “the invasion” of migrants and drugs.
The Mexican leader also sent a letter to Trump in which she explained the 75% drop in daily encounters of undocumented immigrants since December 2023 on the common border.
In this context, another Venezuelan in the caravan, Daimer Valor, asked the president for help to allow them to advance to Mexico City because in Tapachula there are no job opportunities, as the government has promised.
“We fear the closure of the border (with the United States) because (Trump) can eliminate the ‘CBP One’ application, from here you can expect anything because he is rude,” he said.
Anilka, a Venezuelan who fled after the post-election crisis and is traveling with two children, said that they are racing against the clock for fear of the border closing because it would ruin their dreams and the well-being of their children.
“There is a horrible crisis in Venezuela, we can no longer be in our country, that is why we decided to migrate. We asked Donald Trump to let us pass before he closes everything. It ruins our dreams and the future of our children, we want them to be well, since in our country we could not,” she said.
María Esther Marroquín, a member of Civil Protection of Huehuetán, confirmed that there are 1,500 migrants in the group without any injured person, but they are tired from the long walk.
“There has always been information that caravans come that migrate from their place of origin looking for a better quality of life and often pass through here, we have an estimate that 1,500 migrants pass through, we have no information if they are going to stay or take shelter for a while,” she described.
Source: latinus.us
