About 7,000 migrants left Mexico’s southern border in a caravan

About 7,000 migrants left Mexico’s southern border on Monday after frustration over a lack of progress at a Latin American migration summit on Oct. 22 and a lack of permits from the government to cross and reach the country. Northern border.

At least six Venezuelan and Honduran men and five women came out chained and carrying white flags to ask for peace and transport documents to leave this “prison” where they languished for days and months waiting for documents to prove their stay. Legal in Mexico.

Thousands of foreigners gather around 06:00 am and begin their journey en masse with umbrellas, cards, backpacks and children in their hands ready to reach the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City.

Made up mostly of migrants from Honduras, Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba, El Salvador and Guatemala, the caravan consists of about 3,000 children and women who walk at a slow pace with wheelchairs and walkers. gangs in their own countries.

No chance

Ernesto Fernandez and Marley Briseno, a Venezuelan couple, joined the caravan with the intention of reaching the northern border.

“My goal is to reach the United States, to be able to work there, the situation in Venezuela is difficult, because of political and economic problems, we hope for a better future for me and my wife,” he said. Ernesto.

The immigrant said that he was a cook in Venezuela and was currently looking for a job.

Edwin, another migrant who joins the caravan, carries a lot of chains on his shoulder and says he was tied because they did not allow him to move forward, and they leave the battered Dapachula.

“We have no other option to join the caravan, we have no money, no job, here in Dapachula they don’t open any other place for us, we have to reach our destination. We have been waiting for approval for three months and we come with the desire to make things better and move forward in a better way, but they have not given us a chance,” he said.

This foreigner, a cook, did not want to stay in Tapachula, so he asked the Mexican government to give them real support to continue on their way.

Irineo Mujica Arsade, director of People Without Borders, confirmed that 7,000 people were in the caravan with the intention of saving their lives.

“It really saves lives. We’re going to stay here, assess how the hurricane is coming, and here we’re going to stay and rest today,” he said.

The migrants arrived this Monday in the community of Alvaro Obregón, about 15 kilometers from Tapachula, where they stayed to rest and, depending on weather conditions, may wonder if they could continue walking.

According to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the situation on the southern border reflects an “unprecedented” migrant flow from the region, with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) warning last month that 16,000 migrants a day were arriving at Mexico’s borders. EFE