The migrant caravan that left this week from the southern border of Mexico stalled on Wednesday in the municipality of Escuintla, where they hope to regain strength to advance despite the blockade and the presence of agents from the National Institute of Migration (INM) and the National Guard.
Eliezer, spokesman and representative of this migrant caravan, told EFE that two people have turned themselves in to the authorities because they cannot stand the heat and the blisters on their feet, although 80% of the 1,500 people who left on Monday are still there because they hope to reach Mexico City.
“Here we go with everything, people are willing to do whatever it takes to move forward, so I ask the Mexican government to help them with water to continue their journey,” said the migrant.
Some members of the contingent, mostly from Venezuela, said they would stay in Tapachula, the main city on the southern border of Mexico, if the Mexican government keeps its promise to guarantee security and jobs.
Venezuelan José Gregorio Campos Mesa, who is traveling with his family, said they are looking for better stability and a job where the salary is decent for migrants because in Tapachula he spent two months working as a barber to support his family.
“For those who do not have a way to work in a barbershop, whoever helps them or supports them, the situation becomes tougher and, for that reason, those who seek to reach a city in the north leave in a caravan to be able to have money to pay rent, food and have job stability without having to flee or expose themselves to insecurity,” he said.
Honduran Marvin said that if the Mexican authorities offered well-paid jobs, they would stay because most of the people who travel are looking to get to the north of Mexico or the United States to work, change their future and achieve well-being.
“Most people will stay for a while (on the southern border), work for a while, and then they will continue to get settled for a couple of months and then continue slowly, one follows (the path) for the signs, one is afraid,” he said.
A group of INM agents arrived this Wednesday in Escuintla, to offer transportation to families to take them to Tuxtla Gutiérrez, the capital of Chiapas, and to single men to Campeche.
The migrants are stagnating after the president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, assured in a call with the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, that the caravans “will no longer arrive” to the border with the United States, amid the threat of 25% tariffs on Mexican products if the migrants and drugs are not stopped.
Source: latinus.us
