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A12 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 31 OctOber 2018
Migrant caravan demands transport as 2nd group enters Mexico

By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN into truck beds and sprint-
and MARKO ALVAREZ ed alongside semi-trailer
NILTEPEC, Mexico (AP) — rigs, trying to grab hold and
More than 1,000 people in pull themselves up.
a second migrant caravan Guillen, a farmer, said he
that forged its way across had been getting threats
the river from Guatemala in Honduras from the same
began walking through people who killed his fa-
southern Mexico on Tues- ther 18 years ago. He has
day and reached the city been on his own since his
of Tapachula — some 250 mom died four years ago,
miles behind a larger group and he hopes to reach an
and more than 1,000 miles aunt who lives in Los Ange-
from the closest U.S. border. les and have a chance to
Gerbert Hinestrosa, 54, a work and live in peace.
straw-hatted migrant from "We just want to a way to
Santa Barbara, Honduras, get to our final goal, which
was traveling with his wife is the border," he said.
and teenage son in the The first caravan was still
newest group. Hinestrosa about 900 miles (1,450 ki-
said he realized how hard it lometers) from the nearest
would be to reach his goal. U.S. crossing at McAllen,
"Right now I feel good," he Migrants hitch rides on passing trucks, in Niltepec, Oaxaca state, Mexico, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018. Texas, and possibly much
said. "We have barely start- Associated Press farther if it heads else-
ed, but I think it is going to where.
be very difficult." first group and trying to an earthquake in Septem- new ones have become Worn down from long miles
Members of the latest car- help it organize. ber 2017. a hot-button political issue of walking and frustrated
avan say they aren't trying The first, larger caravan of The two groups combined amid an unprecedented by the slow progress, many
to catch up with the first about 4,000 mainly Hon- represent just a few days' push-back from U.S. Presi- have been dropping out
because they believe it duran migrants passed worth of the average flow dent Donald Trump. and returning home or ap-
has been too passive and through Tapachula about of migrants to the United With just a week before plying for protected status
they don't want to be con- 10 days ago and set up States. Similar caravans U.S. midterm elections, the in Mexico.
trolled. The activist group camp Tuesday in the Oax- also have occurred regu- Pentagon announced it will The group is already sig-
Pueblo Sin Fronteras has aca state city of Juchitan, larly over the years, passing deploy 5,200 troops to the nificantly diminished from
been accompanying the which was devastated by largely unnoticed, but the Southwest border in an ex- its estimated peak at over
traordinary military opera- 7,000-strong. A caravan in
Guatemala lawmakers propose tion, and Trump has con- the spring ultimately fizzled
tinued to tweet and speak to just about 200 people
jail for some political speech about the migrants. who reached the U.S. bor-
On Monday he said he der at San Diego.
wants to build tent cities to Representatives have de-
house asylum seekers. And manded "safe and digni-
By SONNY FIGUEROA it aims to crack down on expression of thought," Ro- on Tuesday he floated the fied" transportation to Mex-
Associated Press defamation. das said. "Politicians should possibility of ending the ico City, but the Mexican
GUATEMALA CITY (AP) "This will serve to punish, for mind their actions to avoid constitutional right to U.S. government has shown no
— Five lawmakers intro- example, when a candi- criticism." citizenship for babies born inclination to assist — with
duced legislation Tuesday date or politician is linked The bill goes first to a con- in the country to nonciti- the exception of its migrant
that would punish with to cases of corruption but gressional commission for zens. protection agency that
prison time certain kinds of in reality is not being in- analysis of its constitution- Experts widely dismissed gave some stragglers rides
speech criticizing elected vestigated or accused," ality. Two similar initiatives the idea that the president to the next town over the
officials and candidates Monte said. "That would earlier this year were heav- could unilaterally change weekend.
in Guatemala, prompt- be a kind of coercion and ily criticized, including by the rules on who is a citizen Pueblo Sin Fronteras, the
ing charges that it would should be punished." the Inter-American Com- and said it's highly ques- group supporting the car-
violate constitutional mea- "This also seeks to protect mission on Human Rights, tionable whether an act avan, has said it hopes to
sures guaranteeing free- lawmakers, the vice presi- and failed to win approval of Congress could do it, ei- hold meetings in the Mexi-
dom of expression. dent and the president," by lawmakers. ther. can capital with federal
The initiative targets "those she added. Amid allegations of pos- "According to what they lawmakers and authorities
who make acts of pres- Morales is suspected of sible illegal activity against say, we are not going to as well as representatives
sure, persecution and ha- accepting illicit campaign Morales, family members be very welcome at the of the incoming govern-
rassment" against politi- finance contributions, but and political associates, border," Honduran migrant ment that takes office Dec.
cians "in any medium of a request to withdraw the the president has moved Levin Guillen said when 1 to discuss migrants' rights
diffusion and/or on digital immunity from prosecu- to defang a U.N. commis- asked about Trump. "But and the caravan's future.
platforms, with the end of tion that he enjoys as sit- sion investigating corrup- we are going to try." But Mexican officials seem
impeding the exercise of ting president was not ap- tion in the country. The 23-year-old from Corin- intent only on seeing the
their political rights." proved by congress. The The president recently de- to, Honduras, was part of caravan melt away as it
It calls for sentences of two president denies wrong- clined to renew the com- the first caravan, whose moves through the coun-
to three years. doing. mission's mandate for an- members set off Tuesday try. The government regu-
Eva Monte, a lawmaker Human rights prosecutor other two years, giving it morning walking and hitch- larly reports the number of
who has supported Presi- Jordan Rodas warned that until the end of its current ing rides on the highway migrants who have applied
dent Jimmy Morales, de- the measure is unconstitu- term next September to through Mexico's narrow, for refugee status or agreed
nied that the bill would tional. wrap up its activities and windy southern isthmus. for assisted bus trips back to
stifle free speech and said "It goes against the free leave the country.q They stuffed themselves their home countries.q