After two weeks of intense walking and three exhausting days of waiting in the municipality of Tonalá, in the neighboring state of Chiapas, the migrant caravan calling itself “David” resumed its march this Thursday, heading towards the state of Oaxaca.
The group, made up mostly of Haitian citizens, has decided to move towards the center and north of the country after receiving no response from immigration authorities to their request for safe-conduct passes.
Unlike previous mobilizations, the members of this caravan have expressed a change in their expectations; they indicate that their main objective is no longer necessarily to reach the border with the United States, but to settle in regions of Mexico where job opportunities and wages allow them to live with dignity while they regularize their legal status.
The migrants explain that they feel “trapped” in Tapachula, where they denounce a paralyzing bureaucracy that prevents them from working to cover basic needs such as rent and food.
According to non-governmental organizations, the situation at the southern border is critical, with an estimated 60,000 to 75,000 migrants stranded, which has overwhelmed government offices and the local labor market.
The group that originally departed from Tapachula on April 20 with nearly 1,000 people has seen its numbers reduced by half. Many have opted to voluntarily surrender to the National Migration Institute (INM), and a smaller group has decided to proceed on their own.
During their last stop in Tonalá, the migrants received humanitarian assistance, medical services, and hydration at the local sports complex. However, faced with the authorities’ refusal to provide them with bus transportation to alleviate their exhaustion, the caravan resumed their journey on foot.
Immigration authorities expect the group to cross the state line into Oaxaca in the coming hours.
Source: istmo.nvinoticias
