News Americas, MEXICO CITY, Mexico, Fri. Nov. 11, 2018: Some 2,000 Central American migrants in the so-called “caravan,” which Donald Trump made a signature of his closing argument in the just concluded mid-terms, have arrived in the capital Mexico City and more are still on the way.
In Mexico City, they are being housed in the Jesus Martinez “Palillo” Stadium, where Mexican officials and charity workers are offering them a much-needed chance to rest and recuperate.
“The vast majority of the migrants are arriving sick, tired and with blisters on their feet. It has been a long road, and although some aid organizations have been here it has been very difficult. A lot of people are presenting with respiratory and intestinal problems,” said Ruben Rodriguez from the Mexican Red Cross.
They began the trek more than three weeks ago in Honduras, according to Mexican authorities.
Although it’s a milestone achievement for the Central American migrant caravan, for Salvador native Brandon Garcia and his family, it has been an exhausting journey.
“We have been walking, paying for cars, hitchhiking, but mainly walking,” said Brandon Garcia, a Salvadoran migrant.
But the caravan has not remained united as more members are expected to arrive here in the coming days. Still smaller groups trail hundreds of kilometers behind.
Although there is strength in numbers, some charitable organizations are seeing that when it comes to crossing Mexico, it’s every man for himself.
“If groups fracture to the point that there is not enough people, there’s no safety, they do run the risk of kidnapping, of extortion, of control by the cartels. However, the U.S. government is likely to come down very hard on anyone that they believe is a caravan member and make it even harder for them to present their asylum claims. So, you just can’t win,” said Atenas Burrola, a legal volunteer of the People Without Borders, an immigration rights group.
While many of the migrants have applied for asylum in Mexico, the U.S. border remains the ultimate goal for most, despite clear warnings from the Trump administration that they’re not welcome in the United States.
The migrant caravan is expected to remain in the city for at least a few more days, regaining their strength in what they see as the relative safety of the Mexican capital.
But soon the time will come to move on, and with more than a thousand kilometers to go to the nearest U.S. border, they’ll require every last bit of strength to get there. (SOURCE: CCTV)
