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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 7 June 2022
Migrant caravan sets out in southern Mexico

By EDGAR H. CLEMENTE had to walk around hid-
Associated Press ing from immigration, there
TAPACHULA, Mexico (AP) were raids, because if they
— Several thousand mi- catch us they will lock us
grants set out walking in the up.”The phenomenon of
rain early Monday in south- migrant caravans took off
ern Mexico, tired of waiting in 2018. Previously, smaller
to normalize their status in a annual caravans moved
region with little work and through Mexico to high-
still far from their ultimate light migrants’ plight, but
goal of reaching the United without the stated goal of
States. reaching the U.S. border.
Their advocates said they But then several thousand
wanted to call attention migrants began walking to-
to their plight, timing it with gether, betting on safety in
this week’s Summit of the numbers and a greater like-
America’s in Los Angeles. lihood that government of-
It was estimated to include ficials would not try to stop
4,000 to 5,000 migrants, them. It worked at first, but
mostly from Central Amer- more recently the Guate-
ica, Venezuela and Cuba. malan and Mexican gov-
It is the largest migrant ernments have been far
caravan to attempt to more aggressive in moving
leave southern Mexico this A migrant carries a U.S. flag as he pulls luggage during a migrant caravan leaving the city of to dissolve the caravans
year, though a much larg- Tapachula in Chiapas state, Mexico, early Monday, June 6, 2022. Associated Press before they can build mo-
er group was stopped last mentum.
year in Guatemala. Mexi- carry significant debts for Obrador announced that Venezuelan migrant Ru- An October 2021 caravan
can authorities have even- their migration and there he would not be attending ben Medina said he and grew to about 4,000 mi-
tually broken up the others are few opportunities for the Summit of the Americas 12 members of his family grants before it diminished
through a mix of force and work in Mexico’s south. because the Biden adminis- found themselves in south- in southern Mexico. Anoth-
offers to more quickly re- Meanwhile, Mexico’s asy- tration did not invite Cuba, ern Mexico because of his er that was broken up by
solve their cases. lum agency has been Venezuela and Nicaragua country’s president Nicolás authorities in Guatemala
Many carried children in overwhelmed by the surg- to participate. Maduro. in January of that year was
their arms, on their backs, ing number of applicants. Luis García Villagrán, an “(We have) been waiting estimated to be even larg-
using sheets of plastic or Restrictive policies have activist accompanying about two months for the er.
blankets to shield them made applying for asylum the migrants in Tapachula, visa and still nothing, so While the caravans have
from the persistent rain. in Mexico one of the few said they wanted to send better to start walking in this garnered media atten-
For months, migrants and routes migrants have to le- a message to the region’s march,” Medina said. tion, the migrants traveling
asylum seekers have com- galize their status and be leaders that “the migrant “They gave us an appoint- in them represent a tiny
plained that Mexico’s strat- able to continue traveling women and children, the ment for August 10 in (the fraction of the migratory
egy of containing them in north. migrant families are not asylum commission), and flow that carries people to
the southernmost reaches The caravan departed just bargaining chips for ideo- we don’t have the mon- the U.S. border every day,
of the country has made hours before Mexico Presi- logical and political inter- ey to wait,” said Joselyn usually with the help of
their lives miserable. Many dent Andrés Manuel López ests.” Ponce of Nicaragua. “We smugglers.q

Dominican Republic cabinet minister

killed in office

By MARTÍN ADAMES of President Luis Abinader Police and emergency of-
Associated Press said. Jorge comes from a ficials swarmed the office
SANTO DOMINGO, Domini- powerful political family. of Environment and Natu-
can Republic (AP) — The He is the son of former Do- ral Resources Ministry in the
Dominican Republic’s min- minican President Salvador capital of Santo Domingo
ister of the environment Jorge Blanco and his sister and barred entry to it as
and natural resources — is a vice minister in Abinad- mourners gathered nearby.
the son of a former presi- er’s administration. Jorge’s Jorge’s office is located on
dent — was shot and killed son is a lawmaker for the the fourth floor of a building
in his office on Monday by Modern Revolutionary Par- that also houses the Ministry
a close friend, the office ty, of which he is a found- of Tourism.
of the president said in a ing member. “We are troubled by the
statement. The family issued a state- situation,” Jorge’s ministry
Authorities said Orlando ment saying that Cruz had said in a brief statement. Dominican Secretary for Commerce and Industry Sonia
Jorge Mera was shot by been Jorge’s friend since Bartolomé Pujals, execu- Guzman, right, talks to the media accompanied by Orlando
Miguel Cruz, who has been childhood, and that Jorge tive director of the govern- Jorge Mera, at the presidential palace in Santo Domingo,
detained. Officials gave was shot multiple times. ment’s Cabinet of Innova- Dominican Republic, March 16, 2004.
no potential motive and it “Our family forgives the tion, wrote that he lament- Associated Press
wasn’t immediately clear if person who did this. One ed the killing. achieve a pact for peace was appointed minister
Cruz had an attorney. of Orlando’s greatest lega- “His death is a tragedy,” and peaceful coexistence. of the environment and
“We express our deepest cies was to not hold grudg- he said. “We Dominicans No more violence.” natural resources in August
condolences,” the office es,” it said. have to come together to Jorge was an attorney who 2020.q