As Mexican National Guardsmen and National Institute of Migration (INM) agents continued in their attempts to disrupt the first two waves of migrant caravans reported here on Tuesday, news of a third group headed to the United States has come out of the southern Mexico town of Tapachula. This group of several hundred, like the first two formed of Haitians and Central Americans, set out on Wednesday, September 1.
The government of Mexico has deployed 14,000 National Guardsmen and National Institute of Migration (INM) agents to combat what it refers to as “irregular immigration.” Over the past few days in their attempt to break up the multiple caravans, those troops have clashed repeatedly with the migrants.
- On Monday, August 30, dozens of National Guardsmen blocked the road near Tuxtla Gutierrez, about 230 miles north of Tapachula, to prevent the passage of one group. About 80 migrants in the group were arrested.
- Also on Monday, National Guardsmen battled a group of 500 migrants in the town of Mapstepec, about 64 miles north of Tapachula.
- And, previously, on Saturday, near the town of Tuzantán 25 miles north of Tapachula, a clash occurred between officials and Haitian migrants. In that melee, one migrant was kicked in the head by an agent. The agent and one other were suspended.
The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, re-affirmed over the weekend that his government would continue to “contain” illegal migration through Mexico.
For more, see Reuters.