Migrants storm border
Part of US-bound caravan cuts wires and charges across
Migrants making their way towards the United States as part of a caravan of 3000 people charged at the border between Guatemala and Mexico yesterday, cutting the wires and confronting rows of border police.
Mexico had warned the migrants that they would need a visa to enter the country and sent riot police to the Guatemala-Mexico border city of Tapachula as the caravan moved north.
Yesterday some of the migrants ignored the warnings and charged across, leaving them facing arrest.
Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, described the situation as “a moment of crisis” as he visited Mexico City to meet his Mexican counterpart.
The caravan has been a favourite subject of Donald Trump since it set out from Honduras a week ago.
On Friday night, at a Make America Great Again rally in Montana, Trump said the caravan was now the defining issue of next month’s midterm elections.
Earlier in the day John Kelly, his chief of staff, and John Bolton, the national security adviser, had a furious shouting match about the caravan — a disagreement so intense some speculated Kelly would resign.
The White House issued a statement saying the startling row was a sign that they were all “passionate about solving the issue of illegal immigration”.
The department of homeland security is compiling the year-end figures, but it is expected the numbers of immigrants arriving at the border will break monthly records.
Mexican authorities, in a bid to soothe Trump’s fury and deter the migrants, without appearing to violate international law, asked the United Nations to set up a migrant processing centre near its southern border.
They have also sent two Boeing 727s full of police reinforcement and riot gear.
The migrant caravan reached the Guatemala-Mexico border on Friday, overwhelming the town of Tecun Uman’s shelters and forcing hundreds to sleep in its central plaza.
Central Americans have freedom of movement throughout their region, but must show a visa before crossing into Mexico.
A previous caravan, in April, was assisted by Mexico granting humanitarian visas for those seeking asylum. Now, under intense pressure from Washington, Mexico looks set to enforce the visa requirement.
People smugglers said they had been warned not to help the caravan, or else the police would put a stop to their own lucrative crossborder trade.