Record number of US-bound migrants form caravan in Chiapas

As leaders gathered for Biden’s recent Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, over 2,500 miles away the largest US-bound migrant caravan ever seen gathered in Chiapas, Mexico. According to reports, up to 15,000 people could join the caravan, and while it is not the first migrant caravan to emerge from Central America, it is expected to be the biggest ever seen.

Organizer of the caravan and director of the non-profit Center for Human Dignification, Luís Villagrán, said: “This is the largest mass human migration I have seen in at least the past 10 years.”

It’s understood that nearly 70% of those making up the caravan are women and children, from infant age up to people in their seventies. Huddling together for security and protection, the caravan’s aim is to trek the entire length of Mexico.

Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela

The majority of migrants in the caravan originate from Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, three countries led by dictators that Biden has refused to invite to his Summit of the Americas in LA. 

However, the mass migrant group is also made up of Haitians, Salvadorans, Hondurans, Guatemalans and even citizens of India, Bangladesh, and several African countries, according to widespread reports.

Earlier this month, the Mexican National Migration Institute (INM) contacted Villagrán to express their sympathy for the migrants and pledged to help the most vulnerable among them. 

According to the INM, the massive migrant caravan is a result of an unprecedented wave of migration from nearly every Central American nation to the United States over the past few years. Much of the mass migration has been attributed to increased violence and economic instability across Central America.

The INM’s communication with Villagrán reportedly marks the first time that the Mexican government has responded to a caravan prior to its departure, potentially indicating a shift in how immigration authorities respond to large groups of migrants.

Immigration used as a political tool 

Villagrán said: “Immigration, including US immigration, is used as a political tool. These women and children are like coins to be exchanged. It’s very possible [Mexican President Andrés Manuel López] Obrador wants to use this caravan to look like a humanitarian issue before the Summit of the Americas.”

However, those in the migrant caravan know all too well the dangers they face. In recent months, the Mexican National Guard has become increasingly aggressive toward tackling groups of migrants.

Back in April, when Villagrán led a smaller caravan, National Guard troops beat him and cracked several of his teeth.

In Tapachula, a city in the state of Chiapas, the National Guard routinely corrals, detains and teargases ‘unruly’ migrants in front of the city’s INM office, where people are often made to wait for weeks or months to secure a humanitarian visa to leave the city.

US humanitarian visas demanded

Prior to the caravan’s departure, Villagrán and the migrants are demanding US humanitarian visas, which would allow the group to pass through various migrant checkpoints during their journey, without being arrested or subjected to violence by the Mexican National Guard. 

Anyone attempting to pass through an immigration checkpoint without a US visa will be sent back to Tapachula and forced to wait for documents that may never come.

In the last three months alone, thousands of migrants have poured into Tapachula at two or three times previous rates. Migrant shelters that once accommodated no more than 400 people are now packed with more than 2,000 migrants.

Bathrooms are reportedly overflowing, food is scarce and many are forced to sleep in hallways or on items of clothing in the jungle.

One traveler from Venezuela said: “I hope that my five-year-old doesn’t remember the conditions in the shelter.”

I’m joining the caravan! I’m leaving as quickly as I can. This place is a trap,” the traveler added.

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