Mexican Government Pledges to Target Migrant Caravan Organizers
20 Jan 2021
Mexico’s immigration officials are now tasked with targeting “opportunists” who profit from and are promoting migrant caravans. The call for action comes as authorities deploy their National Guard to their southern border in anticipation of another caravan of about 9,000 looking to reach the U.S.
This week, Mexico’s National Immigration Institute (INAMI) deployed closed to 800 agents and members of the National Guard to secure the country’s border with Guatemala which consists of ports of entry, mountain passes, and rivers.
A fin de hacer cumplir la Ley de Migración y su reglamento, el @INAMI mx continúa con el operativo de vigilancia 24 horas en #ElCeibo, #Tabasco. Elementos del INM, @GN MEXICO y @SEDENAmx colaboran para mantener una migración regular en la zona. pic.twitter.com/DVhNk4kMkn
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Over 500 people who lost everything in Hurricanes Eta and Iota set out from the San Pedro Sula bus station on Thursday, December 10, 2020. Calling themselves the “Caravana de los damnificados”, they intend to walk, hitch, ride or somehow make their way to Mexico, and then, to the United States. Other groups are organizing themselves to leave Honduras in January.
“Damnificado” in Spanish refers to victims of a disaster such as a storm, flood or fire, but the name is also evocative of the suffering experienced by people who have lost everything. Two record-shattering hurricanes affected 7.3 million people in the region, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Prior to the hurricanes, OCHA estimated that Honduras and Guatemala already had a combined 4.6 million people in need.