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WORLD NEWS Friday 10 June 2022
Migrants split on whether to keep walking through Mexico

By EDGAR H. CLEMENTE Josué Mendoza Rojas and
Associated Press Josmar de Nazaret Cárde-
VILLA COMALTITLÁN, Mex- nas, two other Venezuelan
ico (AP) — A group of migrants, were in the same
migrants that once num- situation in Huixtla, trying to
bered as many as 5,000 split decide whether to keep
on Thursday about whether walking.
to keeping walking through “It’s all confused,” said
southern Mexico toward Mendoza Rojas said, re-
the U.S. border. ferring to the fact that mi-
A group of about 2,000 grants had tried to draw up
mainly younger male mi- their own lists of who would
grants set out walking Thurs- be in line to get papers.
day from the southern town “There are about 40 lists,
of Huixtla. and some people left with-
But throngs of families with out papers.”
children decided to wait in The couple left Venezu-
Huixtla to see if they could ela two months ago with
get some sort of temporary their 1-year-old child and
exit visa. The families were applied for an asylum ap-
tired after walking some 25 pointment in Tapachula.
miles since departing the But they couldn’t get an
city of Tapachula, near the appointment until August,
Guatemalan border, on Migrants walk on the highway toward the exit to Huixtla, Chiapas state, Mexico, early Thursday, and without enough mon-
Monday. The goal of almost June 9, 2022. ey to wait until then, they
all the migrants is to reach Associated Press decided to leave and start
the U.S. border. But none the government now tries “Up to now they haven’t giving out the equivalent walking north.
of the migrant caravans to prevent. told us whether they are of exit visas, which give mi- Venezuelans make up a
that have crossed Mexico Venezuelan migrant Junior going to give them to us,” grants between one and large proportion of this
starting in 2018 have ever Ramírez waited for papers Ramírez said. “Other mi- three months to leave the caravan, the biggest of the
walked all the way to the with about 15 members of grants have gotten them country. Theoretically, a mi- year, in contrast to previous
border, which is over 1,000 his extended family at a and left. All we want to do grant carrying such papers ones. A factor appears to
miles to the north. National Immigration Insti- is keep going.” will either request asylum or be a policy change imple-
While some caravan par- tute post outside Huixtla, Luis García Villagrán, a mi- leave Mexico presumably mented by Mexico in Janu-
ticipants reached the bor- where the migrants slept grant advocate traveling over the U.S. border and ary requiring Venezuelans
der in the past, it was due in the open air on Tuesday with the caravan, said Mex- wouldn’t be sent back to to acquire a visa to enter
to bus or car rides which and Wednesday. ican authorities have been their home country. the country.q

Documents: Dominican minister slain over denied permits

By MARTÍN ADAMES ments obtained by The As- Authorities wrote that the handed over a gun to him. threatening the legal ad-
Associated Press sociated Press. suspect was bothered by Authorities also state in the viser of the ministry less than
SANTO DOMINGO, Domini- Those permits and others that particular permit: “It documents that Cruz alleg- a month ago.
can Republic (AP) — The were found inside a brief- had been denied, but they edly took advantage of his Authorities stated that after
childhood friend accused case the suspect was car- had resubmitted it.” ties with Jorge to seek en- the shooting, they seized
of fatally shooting the Do- rying when the minister, Shortly after Monday’s kill- vironmental permits given Cruz’s car and found a 9
minican Republic’s Minister who is the son of a former ing, police arrested Cruz at his support during the 2020 mm Uzi with two 30-round
of Environment and Natu- president, was shot six times a church dozens of blocks campaign for the minis- magazines each and
ral Resources this week al- at his office on Monday, away after telling a priest ter’s Modern Revolutionary $2,000 in cash, among oth-
legedly did so because he the documents state. he committed a crime and Party. Jorge, who was a er things. Cruz is the son of
was denied environmental founding member of that Maj. General Fausto Miguel
permits he was seeking on party, was appointed min- Cruz, who served as com-
behalf of various compa- ister in August 2020. “I cam- mander of the Dominican
nies, according to judi- paigned, and they’re not Republic’s Air Force from
cial documents obtained helping me,” exclaimed 1988 to 1990, a spokes-
Wednesday. Cruz when he arrived at the woman told the AP.
One of the permits that Ministry of Environment and He is also a shareholder of
slain former minister Or- Natural Resources before a construction company
lando Jorge had denied the shooting on the morn- and an armory.
had been submitted by his ing of June 6, according to Meanwhile, Jorge, the
longtime friend and now the documents. “The evi- slain minister, comes from
suspect, Fausto Miguel de dence shows that the ac- a well-known political fam-
Jesús Cruz de la Mota, who cused had been trying to ily. He is the son of former
served as intermediary be- obtain multiple permits but Dominican President Sal-
tween the companies and complained angrily that no vador Jorge Blanco and
the ministry. That particular one was helping him solve his sister is a vice minister in
permit involved a request In this photo provided by Diario Libre, The Dominican Republic’s anything,” the Dominican Abinader’s administration.
to export 5,000 tons (4,500 Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources Orlando Republic’s Department of Jorge’s son is a lawmaker
Jorge Mera poses for a publicity photo in Santo Domingo,
metric tons) of used batter- Dominican Republic, May 18, 2022. Justice said in a statement. for the Modern Revolution-
ies, according to the docu- Associated Press It also accused Cruz of ary Party.q