Oct. 22 — A caravan of thousands of migrants, including small children, traveling to the United States reached the Mexico-Guatemala border on Oct. 19. The caravan had formed on Oct. 13 in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, and arrived in Guatemala a few days later. When the caravan reached the bridge that connects the Guatemalan city of Tecun Uman to Ciudad Hidalgo in Mexico, immigration authorities refused to let it pass as a group and demanded each person enter alone and register with the authorities. Refusing to be divided, the caravan members managed to break through the barricade onto Mexican soil, where riot police met them with tear gas and beatings. Nevertheless, the people in the caravan courageously made it across the border and are marching northward, as of Oct. 22. Imperialism and migration Recent years have seen a huge influx in migration from Central America’s Northern Triangle (Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador) to the U.S. What has led so many thousands of people to make the difficult decision to uproot their lives and risk death to travel through Mexico to the U.S.? One migrant interviewed as the caravan passed through Guatemala described conditions in Honduras: “What’s hard is waking up in the morning and your child says he’s hungry and you start counting lempiras [the currency of Honduras], while the big companies are throwing away food. What’s even sadder is going to the clinic at night to find them closed because there’s no acetaminophen. When we pay taxes, when those who work can’t even afford transportation, because when gas prices go up, transportation prices go up.” (Quote posted on Twitter by plazapublica.com.gt) Extreme poverty and violence in Central America are the result of over a century of coups, civil wars and military interventions, all aimed at securing the region for U.S. business interests such as the former United Fruit Co. — now Chiquita Brands. And the pro-U.S. governments violently repress any attempt by the workers and peasants to organize so as to keep labor cheap and profits high. In 2009, a military coup ousted the progressive, anti-imperialist-oriented government of Manuel Zelaya, over claims he violated the Honduran Constitution by seeking a referendum to allow him to run for a second term. While the U.S. government in public said it opposed the coup, it continued relations with the new government and refused to call for Zelaya’s restoration as president. The country has since been run by right-wing governments accused of killing activists and journalists. Current President Juan Orlando Hernández actually changed the constitution in 2017 to allow him to be elected to a second term — an election accompanied by widespread fraud. Mass mobilizations denounced the fraud and were met with state violence and martial law. Extreme repression and exploitation continue today with the backing of U.S. government and corporate interests. Migrants in the caravan have directly cited the Honduran government’s anti-worker, pro-transnational policies as the cause of their suffering. U.S. exports ‘border security’ Migrants traveling from Central America don’t feel the effects of U.S. imperialism just in their home countries. As with the current caravan, when they reached the border with Mexico, which they had to cross to reach the U.S., Mexican security forces tried to stop them with teargas but were finally overwhelmed. Under pressure from the U.S. to stop the caravan, the Mexican government sent federal soldiers to its southern border. This continues a steady trend of the U.S. exporting its own racist border-control policies to Mexico. Trump has threatened to cut aid to Central American governments if they do not find a “solution” to the crisis. Meanwhile, Trump has made calls to send the National Guard and U.S. military to the U.S.-Mexico border. U.S. imperialism created the migrant crisis through its exploitation of Mexico and Central America and has effectively declared war on migrants inside its borders. Now, the Trump administration has threatened to close the border, an act that signals his willingness to escalate the crisis into open military conflict.<doc-sep>See the recovery efforts in Gaza as ceasefire appears to hold 'Is everything I'm trying to do pointless? ': Syrians helpless in face of 'sham' election Brother of journalist detained in Myanmar says family is hopeful Report: US companies may have benefited from forced labor of Uyghurs Residents stand near stalls along a road amidst debris while strong winds batter Balasore district in Odisha state on May 26, 2021 as Cyclone Yaas barrels towards India's eastern coast in the Bay of Bengal. (Photo by Dibyangshu SARKAR / AFP) (Photo by DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP via Getty Images) France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Rwanda's President Paul Kagame speak as they walk in the grounds of The Presidential Palace in Kigali on May 27, 2021, after their press conference and prior to their official luncheon. - French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Rwanda on May 27, 2021, for a highly symbolic visit aimed at moving on from three decades of diplomatic tensions over France's role in the 1994 genocide in the country. Macron is the first French leader since 2010 to visit the East African nation, which has long accused France of complicity in the killing of some 800,000 mostly Tutsi Rwandans. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP) (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images) Relative of detained Iranian-Americans fears they will not survive (CNN) — Crowds of migrants resumed their long journey north on Sunday from the Mexican border city of Ciudad Hidalgo, according to Mexican federal police officers. The caravan was headed for Tapachula, a city about 37 kilometers (23 miles) north of the Mexico-Guatemala border, the officers told CNN. There were about 10 buses awaiting migrants along the highway between Tapachula and Ciudad Hidalgo and the drivers had been instructed to carry the migrants to shelters in Tapachula, the officers said. It was unclear how many of the group were from the migrant caravan and how many were Mexicans who joined the march. One migrant, a 20-year-old Honduran named William, told CNN he crossed into Mexico via a float that carried him across the muddy Suchiate River on Saturday. Natalie Gallón/CNN A 20-year-old named William said he left Honduras looking for work. He left home looking for work, he said, and was ultimately bound for either Mexico or the United States, wherever he could land a job. “There is no work back home,” he said. “No future.” From Friday to Sunday, 1,028 people requested asylum in Mexico, Mexican authorities said Sunday. The government said 346 migrants in “vulnerable” conditions had been transferred to a shelter in the state of Chiapas. In earlier statements, the government said authorities had given “priority attention” to elders, children and women – some of whom were pregnant. It said there were 2,200 migrants remaining on the bridge connecting Guatemala and Mexico, and about 900 tried to cross into Mexico illegally. The Honduran Foreign Ministry previously said 2,000 people in the caravan had turned around and headed home. Thousands of Central American migrants fleeing poverty and violence were initially prevented from crossing the bridge. On Friday, Mexican authorities began allowing a trickle of migrants, starting with women and children, to pass through the gates and board buses bound for refugee camps. Caravan of migrants continues trip into Mexico, thousands of people. pic.twitter.com/VbZWFjxzQC — Patrick Oppmann CNN (@CNN_Oppmann) October 21, 2018 Others pushed through or climbed over a steel gate before riot police stopped them with tear gas and smoke canisters. Some migrants collapsed, coughing or weeping, according to video from the scene. It’s unclear exactly how many migrants were allowed to legally cross the border into Mexico, where they were taken to shelters to rest. On Saturday, with the punishing heat bearing down on them, some migrants took matters into their own hands, and crossed into Mexico on rafts that ferried them across the river. We confirmed the Guatemala side is open if #CaravanaMigrantes wants to go back. But some are choosing to jump pic.twitter.com/DEvQSPoJoX — Bill Weir (@BillWeirCNN) October 20, 2018 One of the migrants marching to Ciudad Hidalgo, Luis Miguel Martinez, 30, also said his goal was to find work in the United States so he could feed his family, including two daughters he left behind in Honduras. He was carrying a pink backpack and a blanket for a woman who also had a small child. But he was happy to help. “We are one group,” he said. “One people.” The crowd stretched all the way to the horizon. Some carried a Honduran flag, chanting “Mexico. Others hitched a ride, hanging off a tractor trailer headed for Tapachula. John Moore/Getty Images Members of the migrant caravan walk into the interior of Mexico after crossing the Guatemalan border on October 21, 2018 near Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico. What happens next? It’s unclear whether the caravan will be allowed to reach the US border. Mexican authorities previously outlined their plan to respond to the caravan once it arrived at the Mexican border. • Anyone with a valid visa will be able to enter and move freely. • Anyone who wants to be recognized as a refugee or as a beneficiary of “complementary protection measures” must do so individually. Those who do so will be held “at a migratory station” for as many as 45 business days. • Anyone who enters “in an irregular manner” will be “rescued and subject to an administrative procedure and, where appropriate, will be returned to their country of origin in a safe and orderly manner.” Mexican authorities also have said they’re asking for help from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to process migrants seeking refugee status. Photos: The caravan's journey, in photos PHOTO: Guillermo Arias/AFP/Getty Images Migrants heading in a caravan to the United States rest on a basketball court in San Pedro Tapanatepec, Mexico. on Sunday, October 28. Photos: The caravan's journey, in photos PHOTO: Rodrigo Abd/AP Migrants rest on a road between the Mexican states of Chiapas and Oaxaca after federal police briefly blocked them outside the town of Arriaga on Saturday, October 27. Photos: The caravan's journey, in photos PHOTO: Rodrigo Abd/AP The caravan comes to a standstill after police block it outside Arriaga on Saturday. Photos: The caravan's journey, in photos PHOTO: Rebecca Blackwell/AP Police in riot gear block the highway to stop a caravan of thousands of Central American migrants from advancing through Mexico on Saturday. Photos: The caravan's journey, in photos PHOTO: Rodrigo Abd/AP Migrants travel on a cattle truck, as a thousands-strong caravan of Central American migrants slowly makes its way toward the US border, between Pijijiapan and Arriaga, Mexico, on Friday, October 26. Photos: The caravan's journey, in photos PHOTO: Guillermo Arias/AFP/Getty Images Migrants heading in caravan to the United States rest on the train tracks in Arriaga, Mexico. Photos: The caravan's journey, in photos PHOTO: Guillermo Arias/AFP/Getty Images A truck of migrants heads in a caravan to the United States. Defense Secretary James Mattis is expected to sign deployment orders that could send 800 or more US troops to the border. Photos: The caravan's journey, in photos PHOTO: Adrees Latif/REUTERS Jensi, a 14 year old migrant girl from Honduras, baths in a fresh water stream as she and others, part of caravan of thousands from Central America en route to the United States, take rest in Pijijiapan, Mexico on October 25. Photos: The caravan's journey, in photos PHOTO: Rebecca Blackwell/AP Central American migrants rest for the night in Pijijiapan, Mexico, on Thursday, October 25. Photos: The caravan's journey, in photos PHOTO: UESLEI MARCELINO/REUTERS Families rest on a roadside between Mapastepec and Huixtla, Mexico, while traveling with thousands of migrants from Central America in a caravan en route to the United States, on Wednesday, October 24. Photos: The caravan's journey, in photos PHOTO: Pedro Pardo/AFP/Getty Images Migrants ride on the back of a truck heading to the US border from the outskirts of Tapachula, Mexico, on Monday, October 22. The majority of migrants made their way on foot. But some also flagged down cars and trucks passing by and piled onto any vehicle that would take them.<doc-sep>David Agren Special to USA TODAY HUIXTLA, Mexico — The caravan of Central American migrants set out from this southern Mexican city in the predawn hours on Wednesday, inching up the coastal highway in the state of Chiapas toward the municipality of Mapastepec, roughly 40 miles away. The mass of migrants ambling along the highway didn’t seem to know where they would end up on this day, but they do know their desired destination: the United States. With U.S. midterm elections less than two weeks away, the caravan has become a hot political issue that President Donald Trump has pounced on to drive home his administration’s strict border security policies. In response to the caravan, Trump has vowed to send U.S. troops to meet the migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, threatened to further cut U.S. aid to Central American countries and accused Democrats and left-leaning groups of financially-backing the caravan. The migrants and their supporters have said they have been forced to abandon their homeland countries because of corrupt governments, extreme poverty and horrific violence from gangs and other criminals where lawlessness rules. “For those who want and advocate for illegal immigration, just take a good look at what has happened to Europe over the last 5 years. A total mess! They only wish they had that decision to make over again,” Trump tweeted Wednesday morning. “We are a great Sovereign Nation. We have Strong Borders and will never accept people coming into our Country illegally!” Trump added. The Mexican government reported late Wednesday that the number of caravan migrants had fallen to 3,630 people. Those dropping out either applied for asylum in Mexico or chose to return home. United Nations officials, who are assisting Mexican authorities in reviewing claims of migrants, said Monday that more than 7,200 people had participated in the caravan. But Alex Mensing, a U.S.-based organizer with the group Pubelo Sin Fronteras, which is providing humanitarian assistance to the migrants, said Wednesday that the size of the caravan has swelled to 10,000 people. He told reporters in a conference call that the migrants were at least 1,000 miles away from the nearest border city in the U.S. and that it could take a month or longer before they reach the United States. The caravan late Wednesday began arriving reach Mapastepec, a town on the Pacific coast in Chiapas, Mexico’s southernmost state. They had traveled about 90 miles from the border with Guatemala since crossing into Mexico over the weekend. It is still unclear which route they will take to reach the U.S., Mensing said. Migrants traveling through Mexico toward the U.S. typically ride freight trains, known as "la bestia,” the beast, but that is not possible with so many people traveling together at once, according to Mensing. He dismissed claims by the Trump administration and others that the caravan was being organized and funded by leftist or right-wing groups trying to influence the upcoming midterm U.S. elections as “absurd.” The Central American migrants come mostly from Honduras but also includes those from Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala. Before hitting the road on Wednesday, many migrants camped in Huixtla’s central square after spending two nights there. Migrants slept on the streets, endured searing heat and torrential downpours and battled boredom as they rested for the next leg of their journey. Generous locals saw them off with sandwiches, tamales and coffee. Cleanup crews moved in to sweep away the waste of what had resembled an impromptu refugee camp. The caravan stretched for miles as migrants ambled along the Coastal Highway. Some in the caravan pushed strollers. Mothers breastfed their babies along the side of the roads, while fathers carried their kids on their shoulders. Most of the migrants attempted to hitchhike and passing trucks would allow them to hop aboard. A Red Cross ambulance followed alongside, offering water and attending to injuries. Mexican immigration authorities operate internal checkpoints – similar in size to ports of entry on the border – including a modern facility between Huixtla and Mapastepec. The caravan flowed through that checkpoint without being stopped on Wednesday. A dump truck with migrants riding on top and hanging off the sides also passed through without revision. “Nobody knows where we’re going,” said Honduran migrant Nelson Mencía, 50, as he laced up a pair of black sneakers. “But the struggle continues.” Mencía said his feet were blistered after walking for days. But he said he was “a little more rested” after the caravan paused for about 36 hours. He joined the caravan after growing tired of making extortion payments in the rugged Olancho region of Honduras. He showed no signs of giving up on his goal of going to the United States. “I thought it was worth the risk to live a lot better,” he said of joining the caravan. The mayor of Huixtla said approximately 200 people planned to either apply for asylum or return to Central America. Oscar Rivera, a farmhand from western Honduras, was among those heading back. “My girls couldn’t hack it any long,” he said dejectedly as he sat on the curb outside city hall, with his two daughters, ages 8 and 6, sleeping on a cardboard sheet. Contributing Arizona Republic reporter Daniel Gonzalez from Mexico City.<doc-sep>
David Agren Special to USA TODAY HUIXTLA, Mexico – The Central American migrants moving their way through Mexico as part of a controversial caravan is forging ahead in its long journey to the U.S.-Mexico border — albeit with fewer people. The Mexican government reported late Tuesday that the number of caravan migrants dipped to about 4,500 people, with those dropping out either having applied for asylum in Mexico or having chosen to return home. Mexico’s Interior Ministry said immigration officials have received 1,699 asylum claims, while 495 Hondurans have asked to be returned to their country of origin. The Central American migrants come mostly from Honduras but also includes those from Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala. The status of about 500 other migrants is unclear. United Nation officials estimated Monday there were more than 7,200 migrants in the caravan. The caravan has become a hot political issue with the U.S. midterm elections just two weeks away. President Donald Trump has vowed to send U.S. troops to meet the migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border and accused Democrats and left-leaning groups of financially-backing the caravan. Trump has railed about the latest migrant caravan since last week, taking to Twitter to rip the governments of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras for failing to deal with the crisis and threatening to reduce U.S. aid even more to these countries. He also has faulted Mexico, though its government has sent federal police and teamed up with more than 30 U.N. officials to review asylum applications of migrants before they can get to the U.S. “It’s really unfair to the millions of people that are waiting in line to come in legally into our country,” Trump said during a rambling exchange with reporters at the White House on Tuesday afternoon. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters Tuesday that the caravan is violating Mexico’s laws and the U.S. will not allow it to violate U.S. laws. Some will say this is a “hardhearted stance,” he said, but the United States is “a historically generous” when it comes to welcoming immigrants. His message to those in the caravan: “Come here legally.” “From a security standing, there is no proper accounting of who these individuals are. He said it poses an “unacceptable risk” to the U.S. Trump told USA TODAY in an exclusive interview aboard Air Force One Monday that he would send as many troops as necessary to the U.S.-Mexican border to block the caravan, calling their trek “an assault on our country.” The wave of migrants spent Tuesday in the small southern Mexican town of Huixtla, where many camped out on grassy spots in the town square before continuing their grueling trip north. They were at least 1,100 miles from McAllen, Texas, the nearest U.S.-Mexico border entry. The center of Huixtla, a town of about 30,000 people, was teeming with migrants, who sought shelter from the sun under tarps and on shaded sidewalks. Church groups served food and drink, while locals sold them everything from single cigarettes to coconut treats smothered in hot sauce. Among the migrants: Kevin Maldonado. The 20-year-old from Honduras said he had walked six hours from Tapachula to Huixtla under a scorching sun, passing through a Mexican immigration checkpoint just before entering Huixtla. “We’re tired,” he said from the shade of the sidewalk outside a camera store, where he slept the night before. “But the caravan is going to continue.” Maldonado said he had been picking coffee in western Honduras, where U.S. Customs and Border Protection statistics show an outflow of large numbers of migrants. But, he said, a plunge in coffee prices prompted him to consider taking the treacherous trip to the United States. He said he is not discouraged or dissuaded by Trump’s remarks and threats that the caravan would be stopped by soldiers, if necessary, and remains optimistic he can get to the U.S. “Maybe he’ll have a change of heart and give us a chance," he said. Maldonado says he wasn’t sure how he’d travel to the U.S., which would require transiting Mexico, where crimes against migrants include kidnapping for ransom, extortion and rape. But he saw a story on a Honduran television news channel about the caravan being organized and thought it was his chance to flee the poverty rampant in his homeland. Danilo Ruiz, 26, said, he too joined the caravan after seeing a news report on television.