As many as 400 federal police officers and soldiers have been deployed to Mexico’s southern border in anticipation of the arrival of a “caravan” of more than 4,000 Central American migrants heading to the United States.
The caravan includes a significant number of both accompanied and unaccompanied children, and has fueled displeasure in the United States, especially among conservative media commentators.
Mexico’s Foreign Relations and Interior ministries and have sent mixed signals about how they intend to handle the influx of migrants, the majority of whom are from Honduras. On Monday, both agencies said all those entering the country illegally would be “rescued” and deported, but they also promised to respect the human rights of the Central American migrants and permit them to file asylum claims. (However, if they do this, they will automatically be detained for up to 90 days and therefore be unable to continue north.)
While President Enrique Peña Nieto is not keen for the caravan to make headway, he does not want to be seen as Trump’s lapdog. He has already been put under pressure from his U.S. counterpart to prevent the caravan from crossing from Guatemala into Mexico, and awaits a visit from U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday. In a series of tweets, Trump said he would cut aid to Honduras and Guatemala if their governments do not take action to stop the caravan and even threatened to close the U.S. southern border, a measure ridiculed in most quarters, if the migrants were allowed to enter Mexico. He has yet to make any specific threats against Mexico, but almost certainly will if the government here takes no action and permits the caravan to move through its territory.
The Mexican government has stressed that the troops and police sent to the southern border will not be involved in detentions, but employed in tasks to “assist immigration authorities,” as well as “protect migrants” and their rights and reduce the potential for human trafficking.
NGOs and civic institutions have called on Mexican authorities to act with calm and patience, reminding them that the vast majority of those participating in the caravan are fleeing extreme poverty and repression. “Mexican authorities should not adopt the same focus as Trump, who sees these people as a security threat,” said Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty International’s director for the Americas. “These families deserve dignity and respect to guarantee that no one is returned back to situations which place them in grave danger.”
A possible outcome is that Peña Nieto won’t enforce a complete ban on the caravan, but allow a smaller number of the migrants to continue their journey. Previous experiences have shown that the numbers generally whittle away during the long trek north.
The number of families crossing illegally into the United States (and seeking asylum) has increased in recent months, although there has been a decline in single adults trying to cross the border illegally.