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world news Diasabra 3 OctOber 2020

Migrants cross Guatemala despite government threats

(AP) — Threats from Gua- gested Friday that the esti- in patrol vehicles and army
temala’s president to deport mated 2,000 migrants who trucks.
migrants who entered the set out from San Pedro Sula,
country illegally and the rig- Honduras, had perhaps been “The dream is over for the
ors of walking down tropical organized with the upcoming moment,” said Edwin Pine-
highways led dozens of mi- U.S. elections in mind. da, who waited for a bus
grants to begin the journey that would return his family
back to Honduras Friday, but “I think it has to do with to Honduras on Friday. He
hundreds more continued the election in the United was traveling with his wife,
trudging toward Mexico and States,” López Obrador said 4-year-old son and father-in-
eventually, they hoped, the Friday. “I don’t have all the law, but two days of walking
United States. elements, but there are indi- and already depleted funds
cations that it formed with made him reconsider.
Guatemala immigration au- that purpose. I don’t know to “Maybe next time I’ll try it
thorities said the migrants whose benefit, but we’re not alone,” said the 25-year-old
had split between two routes, naive.” man.
with about 700 travelling At one point near Morales,
north to Peten aboard trucks The new group was reminis- Guatemala, a soldier with a
and minibuses and 400 walk- cent of a migrant caravan that megaphone told migrants
ing and taking buses west formed two years ago shortly that it was dangerous for
toward the capital, Guate- before U.S. midterm elec- them to continue and some
mala City. Another 800 were tions. It became a hot issue voluntarily climbed aboard.
still walking in small groups in the campaign, fueling anti- Guatemala’s immigration
toward the point where the immigrant rhetoric. agency reported Friday that
routes diverge. Honduran On Thursday, Guatemalan 108 migrants had voluntarily
Fernando Sabión, 20, walked President Alejandro Giam- agreed to return to Hondu-
along shirtless, carrying An- mattei vowed to return the ras. Another 25 unaccompa-
gel, a 4-month-old baby, in migrants to Honduras, citing nied minors were in the care
his arms. The boy isn't his, efforts to contain the pan- of social services.
but Sabión was helping the demic. Guatemala had just reopened
baby's mother, Madelin, on its borders, closed for months
the wearying walk through “The order has been given to because of the pandemic,
the miles of tropical heat. detain all those who entered in September. About 2,000
illegally, and return them to migrants pushed their way
“I am going (north) because the border of their country,” through border guards into
I want to meet my father. He Giammattei said in a broad- Guatemala Thursday. ity in recent years because
is in the United States," said cast address to the nation. they provided some degree The last attempted caravan
Sabión. “He left when I was “We will not allow any for- Honduran migrants said they of safety in numbers and al- was broken up by Mexican
a baby, and I want to go up eigner who has used illegal had decided to leave when lowed those who couldn’t af- guardsmen in January. Hun-
there and find a job in con- means to enter the country, they saw calls on social media ford to pay a smuggler to at- dreds of migrants crossed
struction.” to think that they have the for a new caravan to depart tempt the trip to the United into Mexico, were allowed
Madelin trudged along, say- right to come and infect us Oct. 1. But the factors that States. At first, they received to walk for several hours up
ing “Even though you get and put us at serious risk.” have pushed them to migrate generous support from the a rural highway and then de-
blisters on your feet, you're Giammattei issued an order remain the same. The pan- communities they passed, tained. This week, Mexico
doing it for your children. that would suspend some demic has plunged an already especially in southern Mex- has been warning that it will
We knew it would be hard, constitutional rights in the struggling economy deeper ico. Last year, however, U.S. enforce its immigration laws
but we're going to get there.” provinces they were expected into trouble. Migrants said President Donald Trump and even prosecute people
Some hitched rides aboard to pass through, apparently they couldn’t find work and threatened crippling tariffs who knowingly put public
passing trucks. Wilmer in order to facilitate detaining those who had jobs before on Mexican imports if that health at risk.
Chávez, 35, got aboard them. lost them when the pandem- government did not slow the Even if the migrants were al-
the bed of one truck in his ic struck. They felt forced flow of migrants to the U.S. lowed to cross Mexico with-
wheelchair, after his fellow On Friday morning, most of to leave to provide for their border. Mexico responded out interference, the U.S. has
Honduran migrants helped those leaving appeared to be families. by deploying the National essentially closed its border
boost him aboard. doing so voluntarily, in some Guard and more immigra- to legal immigration and en-
In Mexico, President Andrés cases accepting rides back to Migrant caravans from Cen- tion agents to intercept large tering illegally is as difficult
Manuel López Obrador sug- the border from authorities tral America gained popular- groups of migrants. as ever.

Canada forms own probe into Iran downing of Ukraine plane

(AP) — Canada is forming and will advise the Canadian 82 Iranians, more than 50 Ca- appear to have mistaken the later. The report quoting him
its own forensic examina- government on its credibility. nadians — including many plane for a missile. did not elaborate.
tion and assessment team to “This is yet another step to Iranians with dual citizen- The Canadian government
examine evidence and infor- uncover the truth, hold the ship — and 11 Ukrainians, Iran announced last month it previously dismissed Iran’s
mation after Iran’s Revolu- Iranian regime to account according to officials. The retrieved some data, includ- reports as limited and con-
tionary Guard shot down a and seek justice for the fami- route was popular with those ing a portion of cockpit con- taining selected informa-
Ukrainian jetliner in Janu- lies of the victims. We will traveling onward to Canada. versations, from the Ukrai- tion, and said Tehran still has
ary, killing all 176 people on spare no efforts on behalf of The shootdown happened nian jetliner accidentally many questions to answer.
board. the families of the victims to the same night Iran launched downed by Revolutionary
obtain justice and closure,” a ballistic missile attack tar- Guard forces in January. The Iran initially denied respon-
The office of Foreign Minis- Champagne said in a state- geting U.S. soldiers in Iraq, head of Iran’s Civil Aviation sibility for the crash before
ter François-Philippe Cham- ment provided to the AP. its response to the Ameri- Organization said in August admitting — in the face of
pagne told The Associated can drone strike that killed that the Ukrainian passenger mounting evidence and in-
Press the team will collect, The plane, en route to the Revolutionary Guard Gen. plane’s black boxes have only ternational pressure — the
organize and analyze all avail- Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, was Qassem Soleimani in Bagh- 19 seconds of conversation Boeing 737-800 went down
able information, evidence carrying 167 passengers and dad on Jan. 3. At the time, following the first explosion, after being hit by two Iranian
and intelligence about after nine crew members from Iranian troops were bracing though the second missile missiles.
the Jan. 8 crash near Tehran, several countries, including for a U.S. counterstrike and reached the plane 25 seconds