‘No one will stop us, only God’: Migrant caravan bound for US swells

A caravan of Central American migrants marching into Mexico bound for the United States grew to more than 5,000 people Sunday despite threats from President Donald Trump to use the military to seal the border. The throng, many from Honduras, streamed across a bridge over the Suchiate River connecting Guatemala with Mexico. More than 5,100 migrants have registered in three shelters in the Mexican border town of Ciudad Hidalgo, Gerardo Hernandez, head of the local government’s emergency services, told Reuters. He said up to 2,000 more were camped out in the central square. “You can’t even walk, there’s just so many people,” he said. “So far, they’re all peaceful, thank God.” Many of the migrants cited poverty, corruption and gang violence in Honduras for their flight. Mexico had been trying to slowly process asylum requests in small groups, in some cases providing 45-day visitor permits. But thousands of the migrants grew impatient, circumventing the bureaucracy and crossing on makeshift rafts or just swimming into Mexico undeterred by border authorities. They were cheered on by crowds on the Mexican side who shouted, “Venganse!” – “come on in!” The Mexican government has warned caravan participants “of grave risks” they could face from human trafficking networks if they illegally enter Mexico. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said Sunday that the United States was closely monitoring the caravan’s advance. “We must remain mindful of the transnational criminal organizations and other criminals that prey on the vulnerabilities of those undertaking the irregular migration journey,” she said in a statement. Nielsen said the United States was working with “our partners in the region” to investigate and prosecute anyone making a profit from the migration. But the crowd was large and the mood mostly ecstatic Sunday. Olivin Castellanos, 58, a truck driver and mason from Villanueva, Honduras, said he took a raft into Mexico. He hopes to work in construction in the U.S. “No one will stop us, only God,” he said. “We knocked down the door and we continue walking.”

MOISES CASTILLO/AP Central American migrants walking to the U.S. depart Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico, on Sunday as they make their way north.