While the majority of the members of the migrant caravan decided to remain in Mexico City until Saturday, a group of 400 Honduran migrants began the trek to Querétaro on Friday, on the way to the United States. Now most of the caravan is at Auditorio Benito Juárez in Guadalajara. They have about 1,000 miles left to walk.
Hundreds of Central American migrants who make up the caravan traveling towards the United States have been making decisions via democratic assemblies. In Mexico City, there was even a women’s assembly, where participants talked about the safest way to cross into the US, as well as the need to find transportation for themselves and their children. The caravan has not decided where it plans to try to cross into the US.
The migrants are crossing dangerous territory, often controlled by drug cartels who are known for kidnapping migrants. While there is strength in numbers, 80 and 100 migrants have disappeared. The whereabouts of these migrants are still unknown.
In Mexico City, 400 members of the migrant caravan marched to the office of the High Commissioner of the United Nations for Human Rights (OHCHR). Amid calls for unity and slogans condemning the violence at the US—Mexico border, the contingent demanded buses for the migrants in order to ensure their safety.
The migrants march to the UN to demand buses.
Both the Mexican government and the U.N. denied buses for the caravan, forcing children, elderly people, and pregnant women to walk the over 1,000 miles to the United States. Often, trucks stop to give the migrants a ride, but there is no assurance that those trucks will not kidnap the migrants. Often the ride on the trucks is dangerous, with people squeezing into small spaces, or riding on the roof of a truck.
On Saturday, the migrants left Mexico City by subway until the Cuatro Caminos metro station, where they would begin the walk. They repudiated the U.N.’s denial of aid, announcing that they intend to reach the border with or without assistance from Mexican and international authorities. According to one migrant: “It’s a way to demobilize us, and in the end what they are managing to do is to split up the caravan, little by little.”
Another sector of about 600 migrants reached Mexico City yesterday.
Others reached Guadalajara after 12 hours of traveling and spent Monday night on the floor of Auditorio Benito Juárez.