Mexico has given the marching orders Friday for its military to secure the country's southern border to prevent a migrant caravan from entering, a movement that President Andres Lopez Obrador suggested was connected to the U.S. polls.
The decision was made as the caravan consisting of thousands of mostly Honduran asylum seekers were making their way through Guatemala and heading for the U.S. through Mexico. "It is very strange that the caravan departed on the eve of the election in the U.S.," WION News quoted the Mexican president as saying.
Hundreds of Honduran migrants who were on their way to the U.S. border and had entered Guatemala over the weekend without registering were hoarded back to buses for a ride back to their nation's border by authorities who intercepted them in the massive roadblock. Some of the migrants returned to their nation after Guatemala announced they would be imprisoned and deported if they resisted.
Composed mostly of young men, the migrants said they're attempting to flee from their miserable life that has been exacerbated by the ongoing global health pandemic. The Mexican authorities believe their arrival is associated to the upcoming elections in America.
According to Francisco Garduno, the chief of Mexico's migration office, the caravan is not going to cross the border, pointing out that the asylum seekers - many of them not wearing any face coverings to protect against the virus - must respect the country's immigration policy.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who is gunning for another term -- and who is currently undergoing treatment for coronavirus -- has threatened Mexico with an increase in trade tariffs if the government does not step up its efforts to curb the entry of undocumented aliens to the country. On Thursday, Trump's administration said the U.S. will only allow 15,000 refugees next year.
For his part, Obrador said he has carried out the necessary measures to make sure his country does not become involved in the U.S. election campaign and the rivalry for the Oval Office. Obrador also disclosed that Mexico does not want to engage in a confrontation with the caravan and hopes to settle the matter in a peaceful manner.
Migrant caravans from Central America made headlines in recent years because the huge pack of people provided some sense of security in numbers and enabled those who have no money to pay a recruiter to carry out the trip to the U.S., which has effectively shut down its border to legal immigration and entering without valid documents has become as difficult as ever.
