Organizers of a caravan of migrants trying to cross into Mexico and ultimately the U.S. appear intent on avoiding a repeat of a rush on the border with Guatemala that ended when Mexican security forces with riot shields and pepper spray drove them back.
Some women and children made their way toward the front of the caravan on Saturday, while men were at the back.
They have also moved about nine metres back from the gate that separates them from Mexican police to establish a buffer zone.
The border bridge was crowded Friday with people who have made their way through Central America on their way to Mexico, despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to deploy the military to stop them entering the United States. (Pedro Pardo/AFP/Getty Images)
About 50 people had broken through the gate on Friday but police drove nearly all of them back. Some violently shook fences. A handful jumped into the Suchiate River below to swim for rafts. Others turned back toward Guatemala.
About 1,000 migrants now remain on the bridge between Guatemala and Mexico, down from an estimated 3,000.
Many of the migrants who camped overnight on the bridge have complained about a lack of food, fresh water and bathroom facilities. Some slept amid garbage that has piled up at the crossing.
A Honduran migrant, part of a caravan trying to reach the U.S., protects her child as a federal police officer reacts, after some of the migrants stormed the Guatemalan checkpoint to enter Mexico, in Ciudad Hidalgo. (Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters)
Selvin Flores, a 35-year-old shopkeeper from the Honduran city of Nacaome, said people who “were causing disorder” have been expelled from the group and handed over to Guatemalan police. He said the remaining migrants “do not want misunderstandings.”
Flores has three children and said he sometimes skips meals to ensure that they eat. He said he wants to reach the U.S. to work and save money before returning to Honduras. He said it’s painful for him to leave his country but he did it “out of necessity.”
See footage of migrants at the border fence.
Another migrant, Jose Yanez, woke up at 5 a.m. Saturday and said that his back hurt. The 25-year-old farmer had no blanket to fend off the chill, but vowed to continue on.
“From here, we’re going on. From here, there’s no turning back,” he said.
He said that he makes 150 lempiras a day, or about $6 US, and has no work benefits.
On the Mexican side of the border, a group of about 30 migrants who made it across sang the national anthem of Honduras.
Drone footage captured the situation on the bridge that links Guatemala and Mexico.
At a rally Thursday in Montana, U.S. President Donald Trump said there are “hardened criminals” among those in the caravan.
“As you know, I’m willing to send the military to defend our southern border if necessary, all caused because of the illegal immigration onslaught brought by the Democrats because they refuse to acknowledge or change the laws,” he said during the rally.
Honduran migrants, part of a caravan trying to reach the U.S., are pushed by other migrants after storming the Guatemalan checkpoint to enter Mexico. (Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters)
Speaking in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Friday, Trump said he “appreciated very much” Mexico’s efforts to stop the caravan.
On Friday evening, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez said he had spoken to his Guatemalan counterpart Jimmy Morales for clearance to send civil protection personnel to help the Hondurans and to find transport for those wanting to return.
“We’ll continue this operation for as long as is necessary,” Hernandez said in a post on Twitter.