A new caravan of migrants, mostly from Venezuela, is transiting through Mexico aiming to enter the United States. They are protesting the new immigration policy introduced by Washington, which is trying to stem the flow of people across the Mexican border.
About a thousand people, including children, have left the town of Tapachula, in the state of Chiapas, on the Mexican border with Guatemala. These migrants, mostly Venezuelans, began a march north to try to enter the United States, 1,700 miles (2,800 km) away.
The Mexican Migration Institute has already warned that Venezuelans crossing the country with this caravan will not be able to enter the United States. Especially given the new rules announced by Washington.
An agreement between the US and Mexican governments stipulates that only 24,000 Venezuelans can enter the United States. However, one of the criteria imposed is that immigration applicants must know a person living in the US who is willing to meet his/her costs if necessary. Also, entry into the country can only be done by air, which excludes all caravan members.
“It’s unfair because a lot of us are tired and exhausted and trying to get through, so they give us this message,” Venezuelan Sandy Araujo told AFP. For the young man, the measure taken by Washington should have been communicated to migrants in advance like him, who has been facing the difficult path for weeks.”But we’re making progress,” he said.
Those who started the march earlier and have already reached the US border are also protesting. For days, dozens of people have been demonstrating on one of the bridges that connect the Mexican state of Tamaulipas to the US state of Texas, blocking passage through this road, local authorities said.
As of October 2021, US officials have counted more than 155,000 Venezuelans entering its southern border, more than three times the number in the previous period.