Mexico: New migrant caravan of thousands leaves Tapachula for the U.S.

A caravan of at least 5,000 but as many as 11,000 migrants from Venezuela, Colombia, Cuba, Haiti and Africa left the city of Tapachula on Monday heading to the border state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. 

This is the eighth caravan leaving Tapachula this year. The migrants have already crossed the first immigration checkpoint in the area, without any incidents, reports Milenio.

"#AlMomento Migrant caravan leaves Chiapas. Activists estimate 11,000 migrants. The contingent is walking on the coastal highway and intend to make the first stop in the ejido Álvaro Obregón where they will say whether they will spend the night or continue their march," the post reads. 

#AlMomento Sale caravana migrante desde Chiapas. Activistas calculan 11 mil migrantes. El contingente camina sobre la carretera costera y pretenden hacer la primera parada en el ejido Álvaro Obregón donde decirán si pernoctan o continúan su marcha. pic.twitter.com/Mrwzc64JjG

— Uno TV (@UnoNoticias) June 6, 2022

Luis García Villagran, Director of the Center for Human Significance, pointed out that the caravan's first stop will be in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, where the migrants aim to hand in their documents to be allowed to transit unhindered to the Mexican northern border.

However, García Villagran complained that both the National Migration Institute (INAMI) and the National Guard have intensified operations for the detention of undocumented migrants in Tapachula and do not honor precautionary measures issued by the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH).

"We strongly ask the head of the CNDH, Rosario Piedra Ibarra, to issue the respective recommendation against those who are participating here (...) They should not carry out these operations (...) the trailers full of migrants leave here in Chiapas and nobody is watching, especially you," he added in an interview with La Jornada.

This Monday, the CNDH requested federal and Chiapas state authorities to issue precautionary measures to protect the migrant caravan. The agency pointed out that there are fears among the migrants "that, when they begin the journey, they will suffer acts of violence by members of the National Guard, the INM and the State Police."

Last week, the group of migrants who remain stranded in Tapachula called for a protest, in which they issued an ultimatum to INAMI to give them humanitarian visas that would allow them to continue their journey to the United States.

"Migration wants to keep us in the city by forcing us to wait for more than six months to attend to us. However, they do not give us any guarantee and we run the risk of being detained and deported," said Javier "N", a migrant from Venezuela.

Karla "N", another Venezuelan migrant said they can no longer put up with the suffering they are experiencing in the city, so they asked the immigration authorities to give them their papers as soon as possible.