Hundreds of people, part of a migrant caravan faced a roadblock while trying to enter Guatemala. They were trying to cross the borders without proper registration. As a result, the border forces on the Guatemala border sent the Hondurans back to their country border. The incident took place on Saturday, October 3.
It was merely 5 am when the Guatemala borders were empty already. There was no sign of the 1,000+ migrants. Soon, reports came in regarding the obstruction activity of the police and soldiers. They describe how the migrants were sent back on army trucks and buses.
Before the migrant caravan faced a roadblock, a group or two Hondurans were found roaming around the highway. For example, a 21-year old Olvin Suazo from Santa Barbara was walking with three of his friends. They said that they would continue trying to enter the US and became desperate after the roadblock. The information of the caravan forming in San Pedro Sula was first available on Facebook and WhatsApp.
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The migrant caravan faced a roadblock after Guatemalan President rejected them.
Such a discouraging move towards migrant caravans is scarce from the time the activity started back in 2018. It seems that the President of Guatemala does not want to let the migrants in, stating safety issues. The coronavirus pandemic has left everyone worried, and the government authorities do not want to take risks. The Mexican President speculated that the migrant caravan incident is a tactic to influence the upcoming US elections. Besides, the Tropical storm Gamma may bring in torrential rain to the region soon. Therefore, the migrant caravan took a different route instead of that through Southern Mexico.
On October 3, in a press conference, the senior American diplomat expressed his appreciation of Guatemala’s President. He adds that Alejandro Giammattei was wise enough to sustain migration efforts to restrict the risk of COVID-19. On the other hand, Michael G. Kozak tweeted that the US will continuously support partners to work towards the people’s safety. He is the acting assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere Affairs.
On Friday, October 2, the migrant caravan faced a roadblock and was protesting due to tiredness and food shortage. A massive group of Guatemalan police and soldiers were continually making conditions worse for the migrants. On the other hand, the poor people who came all the way walking from Honduras were shouting out slogans. They were demanding that wither the US government would let them in or give them food.
Mexican President suggests that it is a US election tactic.
According to the immigration authorities of Guatemala, over 2,000 migrants were wanting to get back home. However, later in a video, Eduardo Hernández was complaining against the Honduras government. The Vice Minister of Foreign Relations of Guatemala states that Honduras is unwilling to take back a large group of migrants. The remaining migrants split into two groups. Out of them, one took the straight route to the capital, Guatemala City. On the other hand, the second group traveling northwards through Peten had to face the roadblock.
The Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador believes that all of it is a US political tactic. He referred to 2,000 migrants who started a journey from the San Pedro Sula of Honduras. Obrador further states that no one is so naïve to see that indications are leading that way. However, there is no clarity regarding whom all the tactics are benefiting the most. The new migrant groups remind us of a similar migration incident that took place two years back. It was right before the midterm elections in the US and became a problematic issue. The whole planning gave rise to the anti-immigrant rhetoric that was undoubtedly back-firing.
A couple of days back, Alejandro Giammattei publicly ensures that the migrants get back to Honduras. It was all in favor of the country’s people and to contain the spread of the virus. The trend of migration from Centra America has become more popular over the past few years. They have also got much support from several communities, including Southern Mexico. However, last year, US President Donald Trump went on to protest the migration trend. As a result, protests and political unrest regarding the same started increasing.
