Thousands of Hondurans in U.S.-bound migrant caravan head into Mexico

[webfact]

Thousands of Hondurans in U.S.-bound migrant caravan head into Mexico

By Delphine Schrank

 

Central American migrants walk along the highway near the border with Guatemala, as they continue their journey trying to reach the U.S., in Tapachula, Mexico October 21, 2018. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino

 

TAPACHULA, Mexico (Reuters) - A U.S.-bound caravan of thousands of mostly Honduran migrants whom President Donald Trump has declared unwelcome, began pouring into the Mexican border city of Tapachula on Sunday, setting up impromptu camps in public parks under a heavy rain.

 

Many members of the caravan, exhausted from the hours-long trek on foot from the Guatemalan border, mostly ignored police offers to board buses heading to a migrant shelter because of suspicions they might be deported instead.

 

The migrants have defied threats by Trump that he will close the U.S.-Mexico border if the caravan advances, as well as warnings from the Mexican government that they risk deportation if they cannot justify seeking asylum in Mexico.

 

Police in riot gear shadowed the caravan's arrival along a southern highway, but did not impede their journey.

 

Among the throngs hiking into the centre of the city was Roger Pineda, a 16-year-old Honduran.

 

"I just want to find some food and a place to sleep," he said, explaining he joined the caravan last week with five family members and a group of friends from the violent city of San Pedro Sula.

 

"I hope Trump allows us to make it to the other side," he said.

 

In Guatemala, local media reported that around 1,000 migrants were travelling north en route to the Mexican border.

 

Earlier on Sunday, a column of people marched under a burning sun as a military helicopter circled low overhead. Many migrants said they were fleeing a toxic mix of violence, poverty and corruption in Central America.

 

Most said they felt safer advancing in a large group.

 

"We're going to make it, we're going to keep moving so long as they don't stop us," said Honduran Jaffe Borjas, 17, marching alongside a childhood friend at the head of the column that stretched far down the highway to the horizon.

 

Along the route north to Tapachula, about 25 miles (40 km) northwest of the border, some broke into song.

 

"If you send us back, we will return!" a large crowd shouted in unison.

 

"We are not criminals, we are workers!"

 

Mexican President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador adopted a sympathetic tone towards the caravan on Sunday, promising to provide people with work permits in a speech to supporters in Tuxtla-Gutierrez, about 180 miles (290 km) north of Tapachula.

 

"I want to tell them they can count on us," said Lopez Obrador to a smattering of applause, reiterating that he is seeking Trump's support to help fund a development plan that could alleviate poverty in Central America and southern Mexico.

 

Since the convoy formed last weekend, Trump has threatened to halt aid to Honduras and Guatemala, and potentially close the U.S. border with Mexico with the help of the military if the migrants' march is not stopped.

 

Mexico's government has said throughout the past week that it would register the migrants and process requests for asylum. Those attempting to skip the process would face deportation, but the size of the caravan will test Mexico, which has sought help from the United Nations to manage the issue.

 

The Honduran government has blamed the political opposition back home for encouraging the exodus of migrants.

 

On Saturday, Mexican immigration authorities said they had only allowed some 640 migrants through the official border crossing on a bridge spanning the Suchiate River.

 

The slow pace prompted thousands to cross the river illegally by raft or swimming, according to local officials and migrant organizers.

(Reporting by Delphine Schrank; Editing by Diane Craft and Grant McCool)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-10-22

[YetAnother]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

A U.S.-bound caravan of thousands of mostly Honduran migrants whom President Donald Trump has declared unwelcome

quite the photo; should mexico fail to deal with this appropriately , they look to be illegals already in Mex, it will be extra fun to see how trump handles this when they step into the USA

[giddyup]

1 hour ago, PBarnfeather said:

All these people would be a big improvement over the Muslims already in The US

Improvement to a welfare and educational system already under pressure as well as increased crime rate etc. About time these countries started sorting out their own problems instead of leeching off the countries that have fought long and hard for their freedoms and standard of living.

[farcanell]

2 hours ago, giddyup said:

. About time these countries started sorting out their own problems instead of leeching off the countries that have fought long and hard for their freedoms and standard of living.

Oh... is that what the US was doing in Latin America.... fighting for the freedom of those peoples and their standard of living

 

guess y’all screwed the pooch on that one... but thanks for clearing it up for me

[connda]

They should hire Big Joke and his team to handle the influx. 

[giddyup]

1 hour ago, farcanell said:

Oh... is that what the US was doing in Latin America.... fighting for the freedom of those peoples and their standard of living

 

guess y’all screwed the pooch on that one... but thanks for clearing it up for me

I was talking about the affluent countries like the US having fought long and hard for their own living conditions, likewise Europe and the UK. Now all these basket cases want a free ride due to rampant corruption, crime and mismanagement in their home countries, traits they often bring to the countries they wish to illegally enter. Can't blame the US for everything. Grasp it now?

[guest879]

maybe they are counting on the democrats winning the midterms  so the boarders can be opened and ICE abolished. image the multicultural utopia it will create.

[Penicillin]

2 hours ago, guest879 said:

maybe they are counting on the democrats winning the midterms  so the boarders can be opened and ICE abolished. image the multicultural utopia it will create.

Doubt it.  Most are likely illiterate , largely ignorant of politics and go on rumors.  Historically though, most learn quickly how to work the system once they get in. 

[riclag]

The force of thousands which originally started out as a  small caravan of asylum seekers was organized coincidentally just  in time for  the USA  midterm elections .

The Mexican Gov. together with the UN have set up road blocks to stop them “One way or another, we will pass,” they chanted, climbing atop U.S.-donated military jeeps parked at the scene. Young men tugged on the fence, finally tearing it down, prompting the huge crowd of men, women and children to rush past and over the bridge".  They must be stopped before the US military intervenes on the USA boarder  https://www.apnews.com/d52af53fc55b49cdbd320df9a19ff626

[guest879]

52 minutes ago, Penicillin said:

Doubt it.  Most are likely illiterate , largely ignorant of politics and go on rumors.  Historically though, most learn quickly how to work the system once they get in. 

you can have a welfare state or open boarders but you cant have both. not for long anyway.

[observer90210]

Oh dear ! I would not bother about these Hondurans abusing of US welfare....it is more scary if one is to speculate on fresh potential gang members to join the deadly and ruthless Hondurian  MS 13  gang in the USA and who knows, with their immense financial power, they may even try to do some lobbying at Congress or the Senate.

[metisdead]

Off topic posts and the replies have been removed. 

[rosst]

God help the US, this is appalling, they are having enough difficulty dealing with poverty without this bunch of freeloaders. 

I believe they have the right and a duty to the people of their country to deny these people entry. 

[Tug]

I think there are a lot of robots on this thread the facts are lowest numbers crossing since the 70s they caravan for protection against rape and robbery this is a perfect example of why we should be building bridges instead of walls by that I mean we need to help them get their counterys in order how many of you have experience working with South Americans?I do have experience I’ve found them to be hard working family orientatied just the kind of people we need on our team.that being said I do NOT advocate open borders I don’t know anyone who does.have some compassion have some heart hear their plea if it’s bs send them home

[riclag]

 Original source "Earlier on Sunday, a column of people marched under a burning sun as a military helicopter circled low overhead. Many migrants said they were fleeing a toxic mix of violence, poverty and corruption in Central America".

Why are they carrying the flag of the country that's subjecting them to travel thousands of miles by foot,while fleeing from the toxic mix ! 

Where are the American flag's!

I sure hope PT has a plan to actually stop this,all attempts have failed and yet the defiant force is multiplying

[tifino]

9 hours ago, connda said:

They should hire Big Joke and his team to handle the influx. 

or... at least will keep him distracted for ages!

 

 

it will be his first real non-fictional issue

[Opl]

Daniel Dale

 

@ddale8

Follow the bouncing ball: 1) Guatemala's president said at a conference that they had arrested, over some period, 100 people linked to terror. Completely unrelated to the caravan. 2) Right-wing sites used that to raise caravan fears. 3) Fox joined in. 4) The president joined in.

 

 

 

 

[LazySlipper]

2 hours ago, Tug said:

by that I mean we need to help them get their counterys in order

And then the bs neo democrats will decry this by claiming that the US and its allies are not minding their own beeswax and that they are being interventionalists again.

 

Damned if you do, damned if you dont.

[Opl]

" the great change in the violence of Honduras occurred in the late 1990s. The United States then proceeded to large waves of "deportations", returning to their country of origin offenders arrested on their territory. "This export of Americanized crime has upset the fragile social balance of the country, favoring the emergence of ultraviolent gangs ," notes Christophe Ventura, IRIS. A movement that is accompanied by "an extension to all Latin America of narcotrafic, following the failure of the militarization of the fight against drug trafficking, imposed by the United States". 

http://www.tellerreport.com/news/--honduras--a-country-"caught-between-extreme-poverty-and-ultra-violence"-.S1GlKYss7.html

[riclag]

27 minutes ago, Opl said:

" the great change in the violence of Honduras occurred in the late 1990s. The United States then proceeded to large waves of "deportations", returning to their country of origin offenders arrested on their territory. "This export of Americanized crime has upset the fragile social balance of the country, favoring the emergence of ultraviolent gangs ," notes Christophe Ventura, IRIS. A movement that is accompanied by "an extension to all Latin America of narcotrafic, following the failure of the militarization of the fight against drug trafficking, imposed by the United States". 

http://www.tellerreport.com/news/--honduras--a-country-"caught-between-extreme-poverty-and-ultra-violence"-.S1GlKYss7.html

"They do not run after the American dream, they are fleeing the Honduran nightmare. It was with these words that Honduran opposition politician Jari Dixon commented on the journey of 3,000 of his compatriots who had left San Pedro Sula last week to reach the United States".

http://www.tellerreport.com/news/--honduras--a-country-"caught-between-extreme-poverty-and-ultra-violence"-.S1GlKYss7.html

 

 How reliable is this  nonsense source! If I'm fleeing from a nightmare ,I ain't gonna carry the Honduran flag !

[Chomper Higgot]

16 hours ago, rosst said:

God help the US, this is appalling, they are having enough difficulty dealing with poverty without this bunch of freeloaders. 

I believe they have the right and a duty to the people of their country to deny these people entry. 

Next time you are in the US get up early and have a drive around a local town center at about 6am, you’ll see plenty of people on their way to work and already at work.

 

Almost all are recent immigrants.

 

Immigrants contribute hugely to the economy.

[farcanell]

13 hours ago, LazySlipper said:

And then the bs neo democrats will decry this by claiming that the US and its allies are not minding their own beeswax and that they are being interventionalists again.

 

Damned if you do, damned if you dont.

????.... so.... damned either way... I’m not sure about that, but ok, let’s accept that position.

 

in being damned, surely it’s better to be damned for a good deed, than a bad deed.... certainly if I was to be damned, I would want people to look back and see that I was damned for doing good, vs doing bad.... but maybe that’s just me.

[farcanell]

1 hour ago, riclag said:

"They do not run after the American dream, they are fleeing the Honduran nightmare. It was with these words that Honduran opposition politician Jari Dixon commented on the journey of 3,000 of his compatriots who had left San Pedro Sula last week to reach the United States".

http://www.tellerreport.com/news/--honduras--a-country-"caught-between-extreme-poverty-and-ultra-violence"-.S1GlKYss7.html

 

 How reliable is this  nonsense source! If I'm fleeing from a nightmare ,I ain't gonna carry the Honduran flag !

Yes... well... the why of it is rather credibly explained in your link.

[riclag]

1 hour ago, farcanell said:

Yes... well... the why of it is rather credibly explained in your link.

ok,I have no idea what your talking about! They are fleeing to the wrong country. We are made of laws,they seem to want to bypass those laws,by not following or respecting the legal process. Flee to some other  near by country

"They do not run after the American dream, they are fleeing the Honduran nightmare. It was with these words that Honduran opposition politician Jari Dixon commented on the journey of 3,000 of his compatriots who had left San Pedro Sula last week to reach the United States".

1 hour ago, farcanell said:

Yes... well... the why of it is rather credibly explained in your link.

http://www.tellerreport.com/news/--honduras--a-country-"caught-between-extreme-poverty-and-ultra-violence"-.S1GlKYss7.html

[Chomper Higgot]

3 hours ago, riclag said:

ok,I have no idea what your talking about! They are fleeing to the wrong country. We are made of laws,they seem to want to bypass those laws,by not following or respecting the legal process. Flee to some other  near by country

"They do not run after the American dream, they are fleeing the Honduran nightmare. It was with these words that Honduran opposition politician Jari Dixon commented on the journey of 3,000 of his compatriots who had left San Pedro Sula last week to reach the United States".

http://www.tellerreport.com/news/--honduras--a-country-"caught-between-extreme-poverty-and-ultra-violence"-.S1GlKYss7.html

Do something about your fonts riclag. 

 

They're making your usual nonsense even more intelligible - not that's its a particular loss but there is the random chance you might one day say something that's worth consideration. 

[farcanell]

 

 

4 hours ago, riclag said:

ok,I have no idea what your talking about! They are fleeing to the wrong country. We are made of laws,they seem to want to bypass those laws,by not following or respecting the legal process. Flee to some other  near by country

 

http://www.tellerreport.com/news/--honduras--a-country-"caught-between-extreme-poverty-and-ultra-violence"-.S1GlKYss7.html

“.These group migrations are intended to raise public awareness about a dramatic social situation," says Christophe Ventura, a researcher at the Institute for International and Strategic Relations (IRIS).”.... from your link

 

yoir comment was that your not going to carry the Honduran flag, in a similar circumstance.

 

this simple sentence from your link, explains why they would be carrying flags of their home countries... the countries suffering from “dramatic social situations”

 

the flags tell observers where they are coming from...where the poverty is... were the starvation and suffering is, or rather, which country of suffering they are coming from... they help “ raise socuial awareness” to their countries plight... to the plight of those left behind...  It’s a cry for help for their homeland.

 

sorry.... I didn’t realize I was being so cryptic.... I thought it obvious and was about to post something similar in my own words, then saw that the explaination of why they carried their own countries flag was right there in your link, which wasn’t really very long, after all ( excluding pictures.... did you get stuck on the pictures.)

 

anyway.... now your going on about being a countries of laws... well... that’s kind of why they are coming... hoping that your laws will protect them, (and as a minimum, they should provide more protection than the laws of other neighbors... right?).... they don’t nessesarily want to bypass any laws, but want your laws to assist them, when they finally arrive. 

 

anyway.... in this respect, your laws demands that these people be treated in a certain manner, which includes being processed, so your immigration laws are discouraging them from.. what was it you said... “flee to some other near by country”?... but rather encourage them to flee to “the land of the free”... (I saw that written somewhere... you might know the line.... no link, sorry)

 

????... so... Hondurans should  flee to Venezuela to escape poverty and suffering, is your solution?..... genius... that’ll help them a lot.

[how241]

23 hours ago, rosst said:

God help the US, this is appalling, they are having enough difficulty dealing with poverty without this bunch of freeloaders. 

I believe they have the right and a duty to the people of their country to deny these people entry. 

I agree.  Most of these people, as soon as they arrive,  will want Govt help by way of food stamps and health care.  The US just can't afford to help the world. 

[Chomper Higgot]

1 hour ago, how241 said:

I agree.  Most of these people, as soon as they arrive,  will want Govt help by way of food stamps and health care.  The US just can't afford to help the world. 

More unsubstantiated hogwash.

[EVENKEEL]

Let the caravan continue north to Canada.

[Athens]

I hope thy will reach a safe future