Current:Home > StocksSome 5,000 migrants set out on foot from Mexico’s southern border, tired of long waits for visas-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Some 5,000 migrants set out on foot from Mexico’s southern border, tired of long waits for visas
View Date:2024-12-23 20:04:18
TAPACHULA, Mexico (AP) — About 5,000 migrants from Central America, Venezuela, Cuba and Haiti set out on foot from Mexico’s southern border Monday, walking north toward the U.S.
The migrants complained that processing for refugee or exit visas takes too long at Mexico’s main migrant processing center in the city of Tapachula, near the Guatemalan border. Under Mexico’s overwhelmed migration system, people seeking such visas often wait for weeks or months, without being able to work.
The migrants formed a long line Monday along the highway, escorted at times by police. The police are usually there to prevent them from blocking the entire highway, and sometimes keep them from hitching rides.
Monday’s march was among the largest since June 2022. Migrant caravans in 2018 and 2019 drew far greater attention. But with as many as 10,000 migrants showing up at the U.S. border in recent weeks, Monday’s march is now just a drop in the bucket.
“We have been travelling for about three months, and we’re going to keep on going,” said Daniel González, from Venezuel. “In Tapachula, nobody helps us.”
Returning to Venezuela is not an option, he said, because the economic situation there is getting worse.
In the past, he said, Mexico’s tactic was largely to wait for the marchers to get tired, and then offer them rides back to their home countries or to smaller, alternative processing centers.
Irineo Mújica, one of the organizers of the march, said migrants are often forced to live on the streets in squalid conditions in Tapachula. He is demanding transit visas that would allow the migrants to cross Mexico and reach the U.S. border.
“We are trying to save lives with this kind of actions,” Mújica said. “They (authorities) have ignored the problem, and left the migrants stranded.”
The situation of Honduran migrant Leonel Olveras, 45, was typical of the marchers’ plight.
“They don’t give out papers here,” Olveras said of Tapachula. “They ask us to wait for months. It’s too long.”
The southwestern border of the U.S. has struggled to cope with increasing numbers of migrants from South America who move quickly through the Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama before heading north. By September, 420,000 migrants, aided by Colombian smugglers, had passed through the gap in the year to date, Panamanian figures showed.
——— Follow AP’s coverage of global migration at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
veryGood! (775)
Related
- 32 things we learned in NFL Week 10: Who will challenge for NFC throne?
- Social media took my daughter from me. As a parent, I'm fighting back.
- Meta kills off misinformation tracking tool CrowdTangle despite pleas from researchers, journalists
- Jim Harbaugh wants to hire Colin Kaepernick to Chargers' coaching staff. Will the QB bite?
- Human head washes ashore on Florida beach, police investigating: reports
- Montana Supreme Court rules minors don’t need parental permission for abortion
- Red Cross blood inventory plummets 25% in July, impacted by heat and record low donations
- Violent crime is rapidly declining. See which cities are seeing drops in homicides.
- 10 Trendy Bags To Bring to All of Your Holiday Plans
- Social media celebrates Chick-Fil-A's Banana Pudding Milkshake: 'Can I go get in line now?'
Ranking
- Man gets a life sentence in the shotgun death of a New Mexico police officer
- She was last seen July 31. Her husband reported her missing Aug. 5. Where is Mamta Kafle?
- Planning a Girls’ Night Out in NYC? Here’s What You Need to Make It Happen
- Raffensperger blasts proposed rule requiring hand count of ballots at Georgia polling places
- Olivia Munn Says She “Barely Knew” John Mulaney When She Got Pregnant With Their Son
- Clint Eastwood's Son Scott Shares How Family Is Doing After Death of Christina Sandera
- Big Georgia county to start charging some costs to people who challenge the eligibility of voters
- Justice Department defends Boeing plea deal against criticism by 737 Max crash victims’ families
Recommendation
-
Jana Duggar Reveals She's Adjusting to City Life Amid Move Away From Farm
-
In Mississippi, discovery of elephant fossil from the ice age provides window into the past
-
Ex-YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki dies a year after stepping down. Who is the current CEO?
-
Taylor Swift gets 3-minute ovation at Wembley Stadium: Follow live updates from London
-
A herniated disc is painful, debilitating. How to get relief.
-
Andrew Shue's Sister Elisabeth Shares Rare Update on His Life Amid Marilee Fiebig Romance
-
In Mississippi, discovery of elephant fossil from the ice age provides window into the past
-
Police identify suspect in break-in of Trump campaign office in Virginia