U.S.-bound migrants clash with Mexicans by Guatemala

MEXICO CITY — Central American migrants, traveling in a caravan from Honduras, tried to force their way through the Mexico-Guatemala border Monday after the Mexican government rejected their request to transit toward the United States.

About a dozen people appeared to push through the gate of a bridge between the two countries, slipping through a cordon of Mexican security officials. A larger group waded across the Suchiate River that separates the two countries. Mexican National Guard troops deployed along the banks of the river tried to repel those who waded across and pursued others who reached Mexican soil.

The caravan, which formed last week in Honduras, presented a new test for the Mexican government, which promised the Trump administration last year that it would step up enforcement, even as President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he would respect the rights of migrants. Roughly 4,000 Central American migrants waited at the Mexico-Guatemala border on Monday morning, seeking permission to cross through Mexico to the United States, and threatening to enter by force if their request was denied.

Under pressure from President Donald Trump, Mexican efforts to enforce immigration have noticeably increased, with more checkpoints and border controls and the deployment of the national guard. But that hasn’t stopped migrants from attempting to transit through the country, including in so-called caravans of hundreds or thousands traveling together for safety.

The group waiting at the border on Monday appeared to be the largest in more than a year, and its size has posed a particular challenge for Mexican security forces.

Mexico’s migration agency initially suggested that the migrants could cross the border to register their claims, including the possibility of filing asylum applications. The government initial suggested that many would be given work visas in southern Mexico.

But the migration agency said Sunday that the majority would be deported to their countries of origin. So far, 1,087 of the migrants in the caravan agreed to the registration process. The rest waited at the crossing point, demanding the ability to transit through Mexico without the threat of deportation.

Leaders of the caravan wrote a letter to López Obrador, addressing the president as “Your Excellency” and asking that “all the members of the caravan receive the permission to move freely through Mexican territory. We are committed to you and your government to maintain order and discipline in the places where we transit.”

The government denied that request. Mexico’s migration agency said only that it was “committed to maintaining a safe, orderly and regular migration.”

“The legal provisions do not allow for transitory migration,” the agency said.