A procession of thousands of migrants has set off from Honduras and is illegally crossing Mexico, with the aim of reaching the United States.
Seven thousand people. An enormous procession of women, men and children set off from San Pedro Sula, in northern Honduras, around ten days ago and is currently crossing Mexico. Illegally: these are, in fact, "undocumented" migrants, who have decided to attempt an action that is at once concrete and symbolic in order to escape the violence and poverty in their own country. Their goal is to reach and cross the border with the United States, whose president, Donald Trump, has already declared himself ready to block the migrants' "assault".
Most of them managed to enter Mexico by crossing the Suchiate river, which forms the border with Guatemala, either on foot or by makeshift means. None of them has any money. In many cases food is also scarce: they survive thanks to food donated by the people they encounter along the way, who, according to reports from the international press, have often shown solidarity with the caravan.
On 22 October, the migrants reached the city of Tapachula, in Chiapas, by the end of the day. That day, they marched for seven hours, covering 38 kilometres. Exhausted, they made camp in a park. "We will turn them away if they don't first apply for asylum in Mexico," Donald Trump warned via Twitter.
The White House then pointed the finger at Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, stating that the United States "will cut, significantly reducing, the enormous international aid it grants to these countries" — should their governments "prove incapable of doing their job and preventing these people from crossing the borders to come to us illegally".
Washington also threatened to close the southern border should the caravan fail to be stopped. For its part, Mexico partly acceded to Trump's demands, stating its intention to halt the men. Women and children, however, were left free to continue their journey. A further 300 people were persuaded to give up the trip and return home.
The president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernandez, and his Guatemalan counterpart, Jimmy Morales, pointed the finger, however, at those who "exploit people's misfortune for political motives".
