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Migrant caravan tries to reach Mexico 7:31
(CNN Spanish) - Hundreds of Central American migrants fleeing their countries due to insecurity, unemployment and lack of opportunities, arrived in Mexico this weekend, under a controlled income from the immigration authorities.
Mexico, which is a transit country or often a final destination for immigrants, has offered work to foreigners who arrive in these caravans, however there are immigrants who once in Mexico insist on reaching the northern border of the country looking to reach To united states.
The passage to Mexico can be difficult, since in the last few days the immigrants tried to cross by force, although in the end they managed to enter under the migratory norms. However, this Monday there were also clashes between immigrants and the police on the border with Guatemala. A group of people tried to cross into Mexico through the Suchiate River and some succeeded in crossing to the Mexican side of the border, while others fled to Guatemala.
The government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador offered work visas in southern Mexico and thus prevent the flow of immigrants to the United States; These visas will only work for those who decide to work in Mexico and there will be no visas that serve as a safe conduct for those who aspire to enter the US.
- Migrants from Honduras and El Salvador leave by caravan to the US
Both Guatemala and Mexico have said that 3,000 to 3,500 immigrants are mobilized in the migrant caravan. President López Obrador said in his morning conference Friday that in his country there is work for Central American migrants on the southern border of the country. According to the president, 4,000 positions would be available in that area for both immigrants and nationals.
“My ideal is: full employment, work for everyone. Work or the right to work, guaranteed, ”said AMLO.
Honduran immigrants traveling in a caravan to the United States hold a flag of their country while awaiting entry to Mexico at the Rodolfo Robles International Bridge that connects Tecum Uman, in Guatemala, with Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico, on January 20, 2020. ( Credit: JOHAN ORDONEZ / AFP via Getty Images)
Southern Mexico, a difficult border
The caravans of migrants traveling through Central America have traveled thousands of kilometers in previous years, a route they usually do walking, many with children on their backs, who must also undergo high temperatures, as occurs in eastern Guatemala, which It stands out for the intense heat.
The arrival Rodolfo Robles International Bridge, a border bridge that connects Tecún Umán, Guatemala, with Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas state, Mexico, is usually one of the first filters, as immigrants must carry a Mexican visa or immigration document. Camps on the border are a common image among those awaiting the crossing from Guatemala to Mexico.
“We have enabled some shelters that have been serving in previous caravans to provide accommodation for migrants, they are being given all the facilities so that it is organized and that who enters our country is known,” said Sonia Eloina Hernández Aguilar, president Municipal of Suchiate, in Chiapas.
- Look: Central American migrants await at the Mexican border with the hope of entering the country
There are also a large number of soldiers who take care of the border crossing. In mid-2019, Mexico deployed some 2,000 National Guard members along its 4,500 soldiers along its southern border to contain the massive flow of immigrants traveling north, amid threats from the US. to increase tariffs on the part of Mexico if it did not have a stronger control of immigrants.
Mexican Armed Forces stand guard while a multitude of Central American migrants seek to enter Mexico through the Rodolfo Robles International Bridge. (Credit: JOHAN ORDONEZ / AFP via Getty Images)
In addition to these dangers of such a long walk and border security, immigrants sometimes face dangers from local criminals, gangs and transnational criminal organizations, according to a report by the Robert Strauss Center of the University of Texas and published in June 2018. The report highlights that most of the threats to immigrants occur on the eastern route, that is, the shortest to reach Texas and, therefore, the United States.
Among the crimes that immigrants face the most are human trafficking, kidnapping, extortion, robbery and assault, says the report, adding that the northern and southern borders of Mexico are the most dangerous for immigrants.
The National Migration Institute has said that it has the commitment to “safeguard the human rights of all foreigners in their transit through national territory”, regardless of their immigration status, so they guarantee “their safety and assistance” permanently. And at the beginning of 2020 he said that last year the authorities identified 277 alleged traffickers of people at different points of review, which were made available to the Public Ministry.
- They retain hundreds of Hondurans in migratory caravan for not carrying documents
What documents do immigrants need to enter Mexico?
While the majority of immigrants seeking to stop in Mexico to reach the United States are Central American, there are also people from Cuba, Haiti, Chile, Bolivia, and stateless persons, the National Migration Institute (INM) reported a few weeks ago.
Immigrants from Bolivia, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, need to carry a visa or immigration document to enter Mexico.
The countries that do not require a visa to enter Mexico in the region are, among others, Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Colombia Costa Rica, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.
Immigrants from these countries do not need a visa, but they do have a valid passport or identity document and travel, and Migration may request foreigners to prove the purpose of their trip, through various documents such as hotel reservations, invitation letters, among others. .
In 2019, 39 million people entered Mexico, of which only 3% were in an irregular condition. Those 179,971 foreigners were housed throughout the year in the country's immigration stations and stays. The INM has an accommodation capacity for 8,505 people. By January 1, 2020, 2,410 people had registered in these shelters according to a statement.
Mexico and Guatemala estimate that the number of migrants who are part of the caravan can be between 3,000 and 3,500.
Immigrant caravan