Good news if true. It would mean that the Caravan will not make the border before November 6.
Caravan's plea for buses is DENIED: Migrants must walk the remaining 900 miles to nearest US border as Mexico ignores demand for transport
- First, biggest of the four caravans numbering 4,000 began its trek towards the Gulf of Mexico Thursday after a day of rest in Juchitan Leaders were hoping to arrange dozens of buses to take them to Mexico City, but authorities refused to provide transport
- Caravan is now on its way to Matias Romero en route to the Gulf coast city of Veracruz, which is a common transit route toward the nearest Mexico-US border crossing in McAllen, Texas
- Organizers previously said their destination was Santa Maria Jalape del Marques in Oaxaca state, but they have decided to change the planned route
- Second, smaller caravan is 200 miles behind the first, trekking from Tapachula to Huixtla, Mexico
- A third band of about 500 from El Salvador made it to Escuintla, Guatemala, and a fourth group of about 2,000 traveling in two groups set out from the Salvadoran capital Wednesday
- A Guatemalan woman gave birth to the first known caravan baby at a hospital in Juchitan
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December, 2018
Exhausted men, women and children traveling in the largest of the four caravans headed to the US resumed their journey on foot before dawn Thursday after Mexican authorities refused to provide them with buses.
The migrants planned to take advantage of cool overnight and morning temperatures by hitting the road at 3am in Juchitan for a trek to the town of Matias Romero en route to the Gulf coast city of Veracruz, which is a common transit route toward the nearest Mexico-US border crossing in McAllen, Texas.
Organizers previously said their destination was Santa Maria Jalape del Marques in Oaxaca state, but they have decided to change the planned route.
The migrants will have to walk nearly 40 miles from Juchitan to Matias Romero, and from there it's another 445 miles to Veracruz.
This map shows the latest positions of the four Central American caravans making their way to the US border
A 4,000-strong caravan set out before dawn from Juchitan to Matias Romero, at La Ventosa, Oaxaca State, Mexico, after being denied buses
The migrants were hoping to compel Mexican authorities to provide transportation for them to Mexico City, but it did not happen, prompting them to continue walking
Honduran girls hug while waiting in line for a chance to play on the playground at a camp set up by a caravan of thousands of Central American migrants in Juchitan, Mexico, Wednesday
A little boy cries as he is led on a leash through a makeshift camp in Juchitan, Oaxaca state, Mexico, Wednesday
The participants of the 4,000-strong caravan have not said what route they intend to take northward or where on the US border they planned to reach, and Juchitan, still about 900 miles from US soil, was something of a crossroads.
Choosing Jalapa del Marques as the next stop appeared to indicate they are opting to travel via Oaxaca state's eponymous capital instead of turning north toward the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, which is a common transit route toward McAllen, Texas.
On Wednesday evening it became clear that Mexican officials were not acceding to the caravan's demand that dozens of buses be provided to whisk the migrants to Mexico City.
'The attempt to travel by bus failed,' caravan coordinator Walter Cuello acknowledged.
An incident took place in the city of Celaya in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato, in which police officers were caught on video apparently roughing up a Honduran migrant (pictured)
It is unclear whether the unnamed man was heading for the US border, but he is much further north than the massive caravan currently making its way through southern Mexico. He was arrested for begging in the street
In the video footage, the Honduran migrant is seen struggling with two police officers, who are now being investigated for abuse of power. The Honduran man was given a fine and released
Children play a bingo game given to them by Mexico's human rights organization, that teaches them about the rights of migrant children, inJuchitan, Oaxaca state
Migrants from a second caravan numbering 1,000 people were making their way from Tapachula to Huixtla, Mexico
A throng of migrants walk along the road to Huixtla, near Tapachula, Mexico, October 31, 2018
Taking a day off from days of walking in the heat Wednesday, migrants wandered around Juchitan looking for something to eat as classic songs by Mexican singer Vicente Fernandez, known as 'the king of ranchera music,' played in the background. Loudspeaker announcements discussed bathroom use and a prohibition on charging money to power their cellphones.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders praised Mexico for stopping the migrants from getting rides.
'Mexico has stepped up in an unprecedented way,' Sanders told Fox News yesterday. 'They have helped stop a lot of the transportation means of these individuals in these caravans, forcing them walking. They have helped us in new ways to slow this down, to break this up and keep it from moving as aggressively toward the United States.'
The Mexican government has, in fact, taken a fairly contradictory stance on helping or hindering the caravan, reflecting the country's balancing act: Officials don't want to irk President Donald Trump, but Mexicans themselves have long suffered mistreatment as migrants.
For the first week of the caravan, Mexican federal police sometimes enforced obscure safety rules, forcing migrants off paid mini-buses, citing insurance regulations. They also stopped some overloaded pickup trucks carrying migrants and forced them to get off.
But in recent days, officials from Mexico's immigrant protection agency have organized rides for straggling women and children as a humanitarian effort. And police have routinely stood by as migrants piled aboard freight trucks.
On Wednesday, an incident took place in the city of Celaya in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato, in which police officers were caught on video apparently roughing up a Honduran migrant who was begging for money on the street.
It is unclear whether the unnamed man was heading for the US border, but he is much further north than the massive caravan currently making its way through southern Mexico.
According to reports, internal affairs are investigating the case as an alleged abuse of power. In the video footage, the Honduran migrant is seen struggling with two police officers. A screaming woman and child appear on the scene, asking for the arresting cops to leave the man alone.
Other passersby ask the officers to let him go, but they maintain that he broke the law by begging on the street.
The secretary of Citizen Security in Celaya, Juan Jose Gonzalez, said that the cops 'beat' the migrant for resisting arrest. Gonzalez also confirmed that the case has been sent to the Internal Affairs department for review.
According to a police statement, the migrant had been seen begging in the city for some time but had never been arrested until now. Reports said that he was forced to pay a fine of 400 Mexican pesos and was released.
A second, smaller group of 1,000 or so migrants is more than 200 miles behind the first caravan, in the city of Huixtla. A third band of about 500 from El Salvador made it to Escuintla, Guatemala, and a fourth group of about 2,000 traveling in two groups set out from the Salvadoran capital Wednesday.
The first group reached the city of Ahuachapan some 90 miles northwest of San Salvador by the early evening.
Altogether, the four caravans represent just a few days' worth of the average flow of migrants to the United States in recent years.
Similar caravans have occurred regularly over the years and passed largely unnoticed, but Trump has focused on the latest marchers seeking to make border security a hot-button issue in next week's midterm elections.
The Pentagon has announced it is sending 5,200 troops to the Southwest border, with their role largely limited to such activities as providing helicopter support, installing concrete barriers and maintaining vehicles. Trump said Wednesday that number could go as high as 15,000.
Salvadorean migrants heading in a caravan to the United States, walk at sunrise in Escuintla, Guatemala, on November 1
There are some 2,000 Salvadorans currently on the move heading to the US by way of Guatemala and Mexico
A man holds a Salvadoran flag as over 500 Salvadoran migrants arrive at La Hachadura border, in Ahuachapan, El Salvador, 31 October 2018
The 500 Salvadorans were among a fourth caravan numbering 2,000 that left for the US Wednesday
Migrants from El Salvador board a truck as they start on their way to the United States, from San Salvador, El Salvador, Wednesday
Worn down by days of long walks, many migrants have dropped out and returned home or applied for protected status in Mexico.
The initial caravan has shrunk significantly from its estimated peak of more than 7,000 migrants. A caravan last the spring ultimately fizzled to just about 200 people who reached the U.S. border at San Diego.
Mexican Interior Secretary Alfonso Navarrete Prida said about 2,300 migrants have applied to stay in Mexico under a government plan, and hundreds more have accepted assisted repatriation.
Also Wednesday, a Guatemalan woman gave birth to the first known caravan baby at a hospital in Juchitan. Mexico's governmental National Human Rights Commission said it had arranged for medical attention for the woman, who was 28 weeks pregnant, and the girl was healthy.
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