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The call for the new caravan was placed on huge cardboard on a light pole in the middle of Miguel Hidalgo Park. There had been no massive presence of migrants 15 days ago, but now this group of people from Honduras, El Salvador, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Colombia, Costa Rica and Venezuela has gathered.
José Darío Márquez, a migrant from Venezuela, who is stranded in Tapachula, told EFE news agency that he left his country escaping from socialism in order to prosper and earn money for his family. “Back in Venezuela one earns three dollars a day, where a bale of flour is worth two dollars and there is not enough to feed my children”, he explained.
Meanwhile, the migration authorities in Tapachula do not want to give permission to migrants in Mexican territory to continue their journey to the northern border.
This group of people, which includes adults and minors, announced that they are going to walk to the first migration point and then continue to advance along the coast of Chiapas until they reach the north of the Latin American country.
Marina Arístides Rodríguez, another elderly migrant from Venezuela, indicated that she no longer has any money, so she emphasized that she will have to leave on foot. “At least this group does not want to stay in Mexico, they want to let us move forward, because there is no point in handing ourselves over to immigration and they deport us back to our country,” she said.
At 70 years old, she assured that she will walk day and night to reach her goal because her country, Venezuela, “is useless”.
Diego Fernando Arias, from Colombia, denounced that many migrants left their countries because they want to, but others are forced by armed groups to leave their homes and families in order to obtain a better life.
He remarked that they seek to reach the US to be able to be work and contribute with their taxes to the US economy.
This group of people tried to leave this weekend but did not have great support and postponed their departure for this Monday morning, as they expect people entering through the southern border and those who are in shelters to gather at the central park Miguel Hidalgo, which is their departure point.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this article appeared in EFE News Agency.
