NEW YORK, Oct 20: Hundreds of migrants travelling across Central America in a mass caravan to the US have tried to breach Mexico’s southern border and enter the country. Some migrants broke through Guatemalan border fences but then clashed with Mexican riot police in no man’s land, a BBC News report said on Saturday.
On Friday, US President Donald Trump thanked Mexico for holding back the migrants from crossing into the US. The migrants, mostly from Honduras, say they are fleeing violence and poverty, and include women and children. President Trump, who has threatened to close down the US border, said the military would be called upon if needed.
“They might as well turn back, they’re not coming into this country,” he told reporters on Friday. After talks on border security in Mexico, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the situation was reaching “a moment of crisis”. Hundreds of Central American migrants broke through barriers on a bridge which crosses the river border between Guatemala and Mexico.
Dozens of Mexican police in riot gear reportedly fired tear gas to force them to retreat into no-man’s land after being attacked with stones. A number of migrants jumped into the Suchiate river to reach rafts, while others either turned back towards Guatemala or simply sat down on the bridge.
The Mexican authorities have told migrants, who include women, children and old people, they want an orderly process and only those with valid documents will be allowed in.
On Thursday, Mr Trump thanked Mexico in a tweet for the decision to send hundreds of police officers to meet the migrant caravan at the border. Mr Trump has also threatened to cut aid to countries allowing the caravan to pass. Since his campaign days, Mr Trump has lambasted illegal immigrants, and this latest caravan comes after a major immigration crackdown.
Changes to detention rules saw thousands of migrant children detained and separated from their parents at the US-Mexico border earlier this year, sparking national and international condemnation.
Mr Trump’s threats come weeks before the mid-term elections on 6 November, which could see Democrats unseating Republicans in the House of Representatives. According to a Kaiser Foundation poll, immigration is the most important issue for 15 per cent of all voters, though the number jumps to 25% among Republican voters. While Mr Trump has sent National Guard troops to the border before, it is unclear what he means by shutting it down entirely, and whether that would affect businesses or people with legitimate visas. And according to international law, the US cannot deport asylum seekers without first determining the validity of their claim. Andrew Selee of the Migration Policy Institute told the BBC that closing the border “would wreak havoc on Mexican and American economies”. “It could be a symbolic effort,” he adds. “A way of pressuring Mexico – but that would have a limited effect on illegal crossings and a huge effect on legal crossings.” (UNI)
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