Home Headlines Caravan departs out of Tapachula, Chiapas to protest slow asylum process

Caravan departs out of Tapachula, Chiapas to protest slow asylum process

by Yucatan Times
0 comment

Mexico has deployed hundreds of security forces to head off a caravan of migrants and asylum seekers who departed the southern Mexican city of Tapachula en masse on Saturday in efforts to reach the Mexican capital, where they hoped to seek expedited asylum proceedings.

Videos posted to social media showed confrontations between members of Mexico’s heavily militarized National Guard and the migrants, many of whom were accompanied by young children or carrying babies in their arms.

The majority of the approximately 500 people in the caravan hailed from Haiti, Cuba, Central America, and Colombia. As of Saturday evening, they had advanced about 20 miles north of Tapachula in the lashing rain.

For days, migrants in Tapachula have been staging protests to demand their cases be expedited so they could leave the southern state and relocate to other parts of Mexico or head to the U.S. border without risking deportation, according to local news reports.

“We can’t survive in Tapachula,” said Colombian migrant Carlos Correa, 31, who said he joined the caravan on Saturday after waiting for three months without receiving a response to his asylum application.

“We are asking the government of Mexico to please create a humanitarian corridor for us so we can travel to the (U.S.)border,” he said.

Under Mexican law, migrants must remain in the state where they sought asylum until their cases are resolved, a process that can take months or years.

Mexico is facing mounting pressure from Washington to take steps to curtail U.S.-bound immigration. In recent weeks, the Mexican government has sent thousands of migrants to southern Mexico by plane, where they are transported by bus to the Guatemalan border.

Source: Reuters

TYT Newsroom

You may also like

Leave a Comment

Our Company

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consect etur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis.

Newsletter

Laest News

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?
-
00:00
00:00
Update Required Flash plugin
-
00:00
00:00