估计 7,000 至 8,000 US-bound migrants have entered Guatemala from Honduras since Friday, a spokesman for Guatemala’s official immigration agency, Alejandra Mena, told CNN on Saturday.
Thousands of people are joining the US-bound groups to flee a life of poverty and violence. Two devastating hurricanes struck the region 去年底, exacerbating the economic strain caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Guatemala’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged Honduran authorities to do more to “contain the massive departure of its inhabitants” in a statement issued Saturday.
While not responding directly to Guatemala’s request, the National Institute of Migration in Honduras said on social media it has reinforced three border points between the two countries with immigration inspectors.
A video captured by CNN on Saturday showed a large group of people pushing past a cordon of Guatemalan soldiers to gain access to highways traveling to Mexico. Authorities estimated nearly 3,500 people made it pass the cordon.
去年十月, 的 first major US-bound migrant caravan since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic left San Pedro Sula, Honduras and crossed into Guatemala with an estimated 1,500 至 2,800 人.
Crossings at the US-Mexico border plunged during 2020 锁定. Apprehensions in the month of April hit the lowest mark in years, with approximately 17,100.
自那时候起, apprehensions have steadily climbed, with roughly 70,000 each in the months of October, November and December, 根据 US Customs and Border Protection statistics.
