Mexico said it will block hundreds of mostly Honduran migrants hoping to reach the United States as officials there continue to crack down on the number of immigrants amid pressure from the Trump administration.
The country’s interior ministry said it would not grant tourist visas and would check the status of each migrant, but would welcome those interested in staying there.
“Mexico is not only a transit country… In no way we have transit visas or safe passage,” said Mexico’s Interior Minister Olga Sánchez Cordero, who warned that the migrants would be met by special operations and immigration agents, the BBC reported.
She told journalists that an estimated 600 migrants had left Honduras on Wednesday. Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei said Mexico Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard told him that Mexico will not let a migrant caravan pass and would “do everything in their powers to stop the group.”
Cultural groups ask federal judge to halt Trump’s renovations of Kennedy Center
House Republicans unlock reconciliation process to fund ICE and Border Patrol without Democrats
Small-town Virginia mayor reportedly arrested for allegedly showing up drunk to train derailment
Romanian national learns fate for swatting US officials, including members of Congress, judges
Melania Trump embraces AI education initiative in White House tech push: ‘She’s been a champion’
‘The View’ Floats Dangerous Conspiracy Theory About Trump Days After Assassination Attempt, Draws Response from White House
Why The Supreme Court’s Landmark Elections Decision Is a ‘Game Changer’ for the Midterms and Beyond
Trump’s USA ‘Rededication to God’ Event in DC Will Occur Same Date as Continental Congress Took Similar Action in 1776
Trump weighs pulling US troops from Germany amid clash with chancellor over Iran war
GOP gubernatorial hopeful blasted by critics for ‘lying’ on stage about illegal immigrant hires
‘Sanctuary Politicians’ Release Illegal Alien Suspected of Killing Newlywed Couple – Then ICE Steps In
Trump EPA chief vows he won’t take ‘morality lessons’ from Dem senator after heated clash
Trump Isn’t the Problem: Dems Called John McCain and Mitt Romney Racists and Nazis, Too
Newsom mocks Trump’s limited-edition passport with fake California driver’s license featuring gov’s portrait
UnitedHealthcare Fires Employee Who Said She Was Sad Trump Assassin Failed: ‘Violence is Never Acceptable’
On Thursday, Honduran authorities fired tear gas after people tried crossing into Guatemala without going through checks.
Many migrants set out Wednesday from San Pedro Sula in Honduras, one of Central America’s most violent cities, in the hope of forming a caravan similar to the ones that overwhelmed American border agents in 2018. Caravans have tended to attract migrants with fewer resources — not enough money to pay a smuggler, for example — and offer a greater level of security than traveling alone or in small groups.
Walter Martinez, 18, joined the group in San Pedro Sula, figuring there would be safety in numbers. His family paid a smuggler when he migrated illegally to the U.S. for the first time five years ago. He was deported from Houston, Texas, in November.
“The only thing motivating me is seeing my family,” he said.
President Trump has pressured Central American leaders to stop the flow of migrants before they reach the U.S.-Mexico border, where many are applying for asylum.
In the Guatemalan town of Morales, authorities were checking documents at a roadblock and police officers were accompanied by four agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Department of Homeland Security has deployed dozens of agents to act as “advisers” to the national police and immigration officials there.
Trump has made border security a top priority. Border officials were overwhelmed in 2018 when thousands of migrants formed caravans to flee endemic poverty and violence in their countries. In an effort to enlist help from other countries, particularly Mexico, he threatened to impose tariffs on Mexican imports.
Cultural groups ask federal judge to halt Trump’s renovations of Kennedy Center
House Republicans unlock reconciliation process to fund ICE and Border Patrol without Democrats
Small-town Virginia mayor reportedly arrested for allegedly showing up drunk to train derailment
Romanian national learns fate for swatting US officials, including members of Congress, judges
Melania Trump embraces AI education initiative in White House tech push: ‘She’s been a champion’
‘The View’ Floats Dangerous Conspiracy Theory About Trump Days After Assassination Attempt, Draws Response from White House
Why The Supreme Court’s Landmark Elections Decision Is a ‘Game Changer’ for the Midterms and Beyond
Trump’s USA ‘Rededication to God’ Event in DC Will Occur Same Date as Continental Congress Took Similar Action in 1776
Trump weighs pulling US troops from Germany amid clash with chancellor over Iran war
GOP gubernatorial hopeful blasted by critics for ‘lying’ on stage about illegal immigrant hires
‘Sanctuary Politicians’ Release Illegal Alien Suspected of Killing Newlywed Couple – Then ICE Steps In
Trump EPA chief vows he won’t take ‘morality lessons’ from Dem senator after heated clash
Trump Isn’t the Problem: Dems Called John McCain and Mitt Romney Racists and Nazis, Too
Newsom mocks Trump’s limited-edition passport with fake California driver’s license featuring gov’s portrait
UnitedHealthcare Fires Employee Who Said She Was Sad Trump Assassin Failed: ‘Violence is Never Acceptable’
In response, Mexico expanded the U.S. Migrant Protection Protocols program, known as “Remain in Mexico,” which has led to 55,000 asylum seekers waiting out their cases in Mexico. The country deployed its national guard to help prevent migrants making their way through.
If asylum seekers don’t want to await the process in Mexico, they have the option of being sent to another country in the region they are fleeing to apply for protection there.
Story cited here.
