Some 2,000 migrants have abandoned or given up continuing to walk with the caravan that left the southern border of Mexico as the largest of the year, and they have made the decision to leave alone, or have been detained by immigration authorities when trying to cross Mexico.
In this contingent that remains in Mapastepecthere are nearly 4,000 listed, plus those who have been joining to walk to Pijijiapan early this Sunday.
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This Saturday the migrants asked the head of the National Migration Institute (INM), Francisco Garduño Yáñez, to attend to all the family groups that remain in the Santa Cruz sports center in this town.
Luis Rey García Villagrán, director of Center for Human Dignity (CDH), assured that none of the members of this exodus will return to Tapachula, so this Saturday they made a written request to be delivered to the 21st century immigration station and they can be processed in Mexico City.
“The condition for us being processed from the 19th parallel, we are going to continue here, the 19th parallel to be clearer, is Mexico City, like this, or otherwise we would take a negative and continue walking,” he said.
He explained that until now he does not know what document they are going to give, but he warned that it has to be a document valid for one year, “that is our condition.”
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Jonathan, a migrant from Nicaragua, indicated that he seeks to regularize his stay in Mexico, to be able to work and provide well-being for his family, since he fled the dictatorship of his country.
“They should help us to give us a document to be able to work in Mexico, because people don’t provide jobs,” he said.
He assured that they will not be able to stop the caravan “because we are going with the help of the Lord, in case we do not have an answer we will leave on foot.”
Another family that remains is that of Noemí Erastegui, who travels with 6 children and her husband from Venezuelawho ran out of money, food and are dehydrated, after having walked more than 100 kilometers.
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“Many have ways to feed themselves and we don’t. We have wanted to move forward but we are afraid that they will catch us and take us back down (to their country), because the effort we have made is in vain,” he lamented.
This family group is waiting for another compatriot who was secured by the National Migration Institute (INM) who was taken to Tapachula, so that he can rejoin their group and they can continue their journey through Chiapas to Mexico City.
Brenda González, head of the health area of the organization Madre Tierra México, indicated that they are providing medical consultations, medications, hydration stations and wound healing to the migrants for the long distances they walk.
The caravan of the exodus from poverty will leave this Sunday morning to Pijijiapan located about 45 kilometers as the next destination.
