Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Monday 20 January 2020
Thousands camp in Guatemala as Mexico blocks migrant path

By SONIA PEREZ D and MA- ployed drones to look for
RIA VERZA migrants trying to sneak
Associated Press into the country. The Na-
TECUN UMAN, Guatemala tional Guard presence was
(AP) — The bridge span- also heavier than usual.
ning the Suchiate River As the latest caravans ap-
between Mexico and Gua- proached Mexico on Fri-
temala was open again day, President Andrés Man-
for business Sunday, but uel López Obrador sug-
few migrants crossed after gested that Mexico might
a failed attempt by thou- be able to accommodate
sands of Central Americans the migrants longer-term.
to barge through the previ- "We have more than 4,000
ous day. jobs available there along
More than 2,000 migrants the southern border, and of
spent the night in Tecun course shelters and medi-
Uman, on the Guatema- cal attention — everything
lan side of the border, un- — but on offer is work in our
certain of their next steps. country," he said during a
Many got that far by trav- morning press briefing.
eling in caravan for greater The offer of jobs to foreign-
safety and, they hoped, ers rankles some in Mexico,
success in reaching the Mexican National Guardsmen arrive to the Suchiate River in Ciudad Hidalgo, on the Mexican a country in which half the
United States. border with Guatemala, near Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020. population lives in poverty
Mexico, pressured by the Associated Press and millions are unem-
U.S. to halt the northward ployed.
flow of migrants, is offering church, a blue and white in the coming days. Mexican Gen. Vicente López Obrador was quick
those who turn themselves Spanish colonial-style struc- Mexican national guards- Hernández stood beyond to add Friday that "the
over to authorities tempo- ture with a bell perched on men on Saturday slammed the green bars, flanked by same goes for our nation-
rary jobs in southern Mex- top that's in the heart of Te- shut a metal fence that guardsmen, with an offer: als, there's a way for them
ico, likely in agriculture or cun Uman. reads "Welcome to Mexico" Turn yourselves over to us, to have work."
construction. But many of "We improvised this shelter to block the path of thou- and the Mexican govern- Despite the offer, distrust
the migrants would rather because the other one was sands of Central American ment will find you jobs. ran high among the mi-
pass through the country to crowded," said Alfredo Ca- migrants who attempted to "There are opportunities for grants congregating just
try to start a new life in the marena, vicar of the Cath- push their way across the all," he promised. south of the Mexican bor-
U.S. olic church. Rodolfo Robles Bridge. Migrants looking for per- der with Guatemala. Some
Volunteers spooned out Camarena estimated Beyond the fence, on the mission to stay in Mexico feared they would be swift-
a hot breakfast of beans, that more than 2,000 mi- Mexican side of the border, passed through in groups ly deported if they handed
eggs, tortillas and coffee on grants spent the night in Mexican troops in riot gear of 20. As the day wore on, themselves over to Mexi-
Sunday to a line of migrants his church, in shelters or on formed a human wall to around 300 turned them- can authorities.
that stretched around the the streets, and that several reinforce the barrier as the selves over to Mexican im- A few, relying on unfound-
Senor de las Tres Caidas hundred more would arrive crowd pressed forward. migration. ed rumors swirling among
At a less frequently used the migrants, said they sus-
border crossing called El pected a more selfish mo-
At least 75 flee from Paraguay Ceibo, nestled among na- tive behind Mexico's rein-
tional parks near the city forcement of its southern
prison; many from Brazil gang of Tenosique in Mexico's border.
Tabasco state, Guatema-
"We've heard that the pres-
ident of the United States
la's human rights defend-
er's office reported Sunday has opened the doors and
ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) may have been a ruse to escapees from reentering
— At least 75 inmates, cover complicity by prison the country. "If they enter that around 300 people that he even has work for
opted to turn themselves us, and that the Mexicans
many of them members of officials and that many Brazil again, they will only
a notorious Brazilian gang, of the inmates may have get a one-way ticket to over to Mexican authorities don't want to let us pass
for processing.
escaped from a Paraguay- been allowed to walk out federal prison," he tweet- because they want to keep
an prison in a border town of the prison's main gate. ed. Brazilian authorities said Mexico's offer of employ- all the work," said Carlos Al-
ment, and not just legal berto Bustillo of Honduras
on Sunday, according to Acevedo said the majority 40 of the escapees were
authorities who said they of the escapees belong to Brazilian, and said they had status, represents a new as he bathed in the Suchi-
twist in the country's efforts ate River.
immediately fired the pris- the First Capital Command passed their names and
on's director. based in Brazil, which bor- photos to border police. to find humane solutions to The Suchiate has sometimes
the mostly Central Ameri-
Officials said they discov- ders the city of Pedro Juan Acevedo said national po- been a point for standoffs,
ered a tunnel and found Caballero, where the pris- lice had been mobilized to can migrants who are flee- as migrants group togeth-
ing poverty and violence in er for strength in numbers,
cells filled with as many as on is located. The gang hunt for the escapees.
200 bags of earth. was founded in the 1990s The prison's director and their home countries. hoping that they can force
Under threat of trade and their way across the bridge,
"It's not possible that no- inside a Sao Paulo prison head of security were
body saw anything in all this and it has extended its in- fired and Pérez said the other sanctions from the or wade across the river, to
U.S., Mexico has stepped avoid immigration checks
time," Justice Minister Ceci- fluence throughout the fight against organized
lia Pérez told the Telefuturo country, becoming one of crime isn't only against up efforts in recent months in Mexico.
to prevent migrants from The water levels of the river
station. "This isn't the work of Brazil's largest criminal or- the Brazilian gang, "but
one day or one night." ganizations. also clearly against all the reaching their desired final have been low enough this
destination: the U.S. Over weekend to allow those
Interior Minister Euclides In Brazil, Justice Minister Ser- corruption within our sys-
Acevedo said in a state- gio Moro said authorities tem, which sadly is totally the weekend, Mexican who dare to simply trudge
immigration officials de-
ment that the tunnel itself were trying to prevent the contaminated."q across. q