Caravan shrinks; migrants cross
TECUN UMAN, GUATEMALA >> A U.S.-bound caravan that once totaled more than 3,000 Central American migrants looked to be about a third that size Saturday morning, when its remaining members woke up on a bridge that separates Guatemala from Mexico and waited to get past a crossing guarded by hundreds of Mexican federal police.
Hundreds of migrants have already crossed, some legally, some not. Others left their spots on the bridge to go to a nearby Guatemalan town for food. It’s unclear whether any have simply turned back.
The group had burst through a Guatemalan border fence Friday and rushed onto the bridge over the Suchiate River, defying officials’ entreaties for an orderly crossing and President Donald Trump’s threats of retaliation.
They were met by a wall of police with riot shields, and only about 50 migrants managed to push their way through before officers unleashed pepper spray.
The rest retreated, joining the sea of people in limbo between both countries.
At an event in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Friday, Trump made it clear to Mexico that he is monitoring its response.
“So as of this moment, I thank Mexico. I hope they continue. But as of this moment, I thank Mexico,” he said. “If that doesn’t work out, we’re calling up the military — not the Guard.”
He also warned the migrants
that they should turn back.
“They’re not coming into this country,” he said.
On Friday, Mexican police and immigration agents began letting groups of 10, 20 or 30 people through the gates at a time if they wanted to apply for refugee status.
Once they filed a claim, they were given the option to go to a shelter to spend the night.
Other migrants, tired of waiting, jumped off the bridge into the river.
Some organized a rope brigade to ford its muddy waters or floated across on rafts operated by local residents who usually charge a dollar or two to make the crossing.
Carlos Rodriguez, 20, crossed the Suchiate River in a raft and reached the Mexican side. “I’m proud,” he said, after landing on Mexican soil.
Hundreds of others awoke amid garbage that had piled up on the bridge. Without bathrooms, a foul odor wafted through the air.
Jose Yanez slept with no blanket but vowed to continue.
“From here, we’re going on. From here, there’s no turning back,” said the 25-year-old farmer, adding that he makes 150 lempiras a day in Honduras, or about $6, and has no work benefits.
Organizers of the caravan appeared intent on avoiding a repeat of the rush on the border with Guatemala.
Some women and children made their way toward the front of the caravan Saturday, while men were at the back.
They also have moved about 30 feet back from the gate that separates them from Mexican police to establish a buffer zone.
Late Friday, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto said that “Mexico does not permit and will not permit entry into its territory in an irregular fashion, much less in a violent fashion.”
Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez tweeted late Friday that he spoke with his Guatemalan counterpart, Jimmy Morales, and asked permission to send Honduran civil protection personnel to the
bridge to help the migrants.
“I also asked authorization to hire ground transportation for anyone who wants to return and an air bridge for special cases of women, children, the elderly and the sick,” Hernandez tweeted.
Hernandez and Morales were expected to meet in Guatemala on Saturday to discuss the situation.
Acner Adolfo Rodriguez, 30, one of the last migrants through the breached Guatemala border fence, said he hoped to find work and a better life far from the widespread poverty and gang violence in Honduras, one of the world’s deadliest countries.
“May Trump’s heart be touched so he lets us through,” Rodriguez said.
Mexican officials said those with passports and valid visas — only a tiny minority of those trying to cross — would be let in immediately.
Migrants who want to apply for refuge in Mexico were welcome to do so, the officials said, but any who decide to cross illegally and are caught will be detained and deported.