Mexico putting pressure on caravans
Some migrants detained; others forced off trucks
JUCHITAN, Mexico — Thousands of Central American migrants resumed their slow trek through southern Mexico on Thursday, as immigration agents and police nibbled at the edges of the two caravans currently in the country.
Mexican authorities haven’t directly targeted the main caravan of about 4,000 migrants, and activists aiding that group said they were shifting their route closer to the Texas border.
But a smaller caravan about 200 miles behind the first group appeared to be more leaderless and more vulnerable.
A federal official who was not authorized to be quoted by name said 153 migrants in the second caravan were detained Wednesday during highway inspections in the southern state of Chiapas.
And there was pressure on the first caravan, which set out before dawn Thursday from Juchitan, Oaxaca, seeking to reach Matias Romero, about 40 miles ahead.
They had tried to arrange bus transport from Juchitan but failed, leaving them once again on foot and looking for rides.
But federal police began pulling freight trucks over and forcing migrants off, saying their habit of clinging to the tops or sides of the trucks was dangerous.
At other points along the route, police have forced overloaded pickups to disgorge migrants. On previous days, they have ordered passenger vans to stop transporting migrants.
The migrants have not said what route they intend to take northward or where on the U.S. border they planned to reach.
Late Thursday, the migrants decided to leave at 5 a.m. Friday toward Veracruz, with their destination either Donaji or Sayula de Aleman.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders on Wednesday praised Mexico for stopping the migrants from getting rides. “Mexico has stepped up in an unprecedented way,” Sanders told Fox News. “They have helped stop a lot of the transportation means of these individuals in these caravans, forcing them walking. They have helped us in new ways to slow this down, to break this up and keep it from moving as aggressively toward the United States.”
A third band of about 500 from El Salvador made it to Guatemala, and a fourth group of about 700 set out from the Salvadoran capital Wednesday.
Altogether, the four caravans represent a few days’ worth of the average flow of migrants to the United States in recent years.
Worn down by days of long walks, many migrants have dropped out and returned home or applied for protected status in Mexico. The Interior Department said Thursday that the number of migrants who have applied for refuge was now nearly 3,000.
The initial caravan has shrunk significantly from its estimated peak of more than 7,000 migrants.