A new migrant caravan is heading north from Chiapas, but it’s not US-bound 

More than 1,000 migrants person acceptable retired unneurotic from confederate Mexico, but they person nary volition of trying to scope the United States.  

Instead, their extremity is to get to Mexico City, wherever they anticipation to expedite their asylum claims and regularize their ineligible presumption successful this country.

The caller caravan is similar, though larger, to the 1 shown present that near Chiapas successful August, besides with Mexico City and not the U.S. borderline arsenic its destination. (Damian Sánchez/Cuartoscuro)

The 1,100-kilometer trek connected ft to Mexico City is fraught with difficulty: utmost temperatures, rain, nutrient and h2o shortages, arsenic good arsenic the changeless hazard of abuse, extortion and violence.

But staying successful Chiapas wherever determination are fewer occupation opportunities is not an option, truthful the migrants — chiefly from Cuba, but besides from Honduras, Ecuador, Brazil and Haiti — began heading northbound connected Wednesday.

For the past 8 years oregon so, dozens of caravans person acceptable retired from Chiapas, the southernmost authorities successful Mexico, with 1 goal: to transverse the bluish borderline and scope the United States.

However, that mindset changed aft U.S. President Donald Trump took bureau successful January, introducing and enforcing strict migration policies and discouraging asylum seekers.

Since Trump took office, the migratory travel has dried up. Activists connected Mexico’s confederate borderline study a driblet of up to 80%, according to the paper El País. There utilized to beryllium camps connected the Guatemala broadside of the Suchiate River wherever hundreds oregon thousands of migrants gathered, but the country is virtually empty. The fewer who transverse bash truthful successful secret.

The existent radical is conscionable the 2nd to coalesce successful Chiapas since Trump took bureau and, like the caravan that departed Tapachula successful August, leaders accidental they aren’t readying to  marque their mode to the U.S.

When questioned by a newsman from El País, a 37-year-old Cuban pistillate scoffed astatine the conception of traveling to the U.S.

“Why would I privation to spell to the United States?” responded Esther López. “They hatred america there! All I privation is to get to Mexico City wherever my person is waiting for maine truthful I tin marque a beingness for myself there.” 

Vladimir Ortiz Cassola, different Cuban immigrant, was of the aforesaid opinion. 

“The United States isn’t connected my mind,” helium told CNN en Español. “We privation to regularize our presumption present … thing much than that, truthful we tin enactment and lend to this nation.” 

But successful summation to the deficiency of jobs successful Tapachula, the section bureau of the Commission for Refugee Assistance (Comar) is seen arsenic small much than a bureaucratic roadblock. 

Migrants successful the caravan reported waits of up to 10 months with small to amusement for it and enactment is hard to find without ineligible documentation. Others said radical posing arsenic lawyers assistance with the processing, but for exorbitant fees. Still others spoke of being scammed by these “lawyers.”

Before departing for Mexico City, a spokesperson for the migrants spoke of the dire concern they face: “We’re leaving Tapachula due to the fact that we’re trapped here. They won’t springiness america papers to unrecorded formally, and to get them we person to wage up to 20,000 pesos (US $1,080).”

On occasion, Mexican authorities person allowed migrant caravans to proceed for a fewer days earlier offering to assistance with their documents oregon supply transportation.

With reports from The Associated Press, El País and CNN en Español