Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 3 November 2018

In migrant caravan, kids and parents struggle with long trek

By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN has continued to ramp After failing to persuade wouldn’t lose them. A tod- old Eipril Arguijo Gonzalez
Associated Press up his rhetoric against the Mexican authorities to pro- dler leaned against his old- flopped onto her 17-year-
NILTEPEC, Mexico (AP) — caravan of some 4,000 mi- vide buses that would have er sister, playing with a tiny old brother’s bare chest,
Toddlers slump in strollers grants, repeatedly ham- whisked them hundreds plastic truck on the edge giggled uncontrollably
bouncing across the rough when he grabbed her and
asphalt, and infants only a then popped back up to
few weeks old jiggle in their resume pacing around her
fathers’ arms. small space on a church
Others, limp from exhaus- patio where her family was
tion and nearly too big to spending the night in the
be carried, are slung across town of Niltepec.
their mothers’ chests like “She acts like we’re on
sacks of grain, sweaty hair vacation,” said her broth-
plastered to their heads. er, Jonny. His twin, Jordy,
There are hundreds of chil- chimed in that in each
dren traveling in the cara- town where they’ve
van of Central American stopped, Eipril calls the river
migrants. the beach.
That number has fluctuated For the Arguijo family, the
somewhat as the group’s trip has been hardest on
size has grown and dimin- 10-year-old Keneth, who
ished, but kids of all ages is too old to be carried or
are still everywhere and at pushed in a stroller and
risk of illness, dehydration knows too much to think
and other dangers. this is any kind of vacation.
And if it’s exhausting for After covering dozens
children, it’s perhaps even of miles on foot, both of
more so for their parents Keneth’s feet were shred-
trying to care for them as A man holding his son tries to flag down a passing truck for a free ride, as the caravan moves north ded with cuts and blisters
they walk long hours in the of Pijijiapan, Chiapas state, Mexico, after dawn, Friday, Oct. 26, 2018. and he went to a medical
sun, sleep on the ground Associated Press tent to have them ban-
outdoors and rely on dona- daged.
tions of food and clothing mering Democrats and of miles ahead to Mexico of the highway, while their Despite his tender age,
to get by. talking of sending as many City, the migrants were on mother tried to flag down a he was part of the fam-
Pamela Valle, a 28-year-old as 15,000 U.S. troops to the the move again on foot passing truck. ily meeting in Tegucigal-
from El Progreso, Honduras, southern border — more Thursday, hitchhiking and Still, as young children do, pa, the Honduran capital,
said no child should have than double the number of scrounging rides when they many found ways to light- when the family decided
to undertake a migration migrants in this group and could find them. en the difficult journey with to flee.
like this. But unable to find three other much smaller Their goal for the day was imaginary play. Jonny and Jordy had left
work back home, she said ones following in its foot- to trek 40 miles (65 kilome- After arriving in Tap- with their father in August
she had no choice but to steps hundreds of miles be- ters) to reach the town of anatepec’s main plaza, Ev- because the gang con-
leave and take 5-year-old hind. Matias Romero in Oaxaca elin Flores, a spunky 7-year- trolling their neighborhood
Eleonor with her. In a lengthy speech on state, still more than 840 old from Tela, Honduras, was trying to force them to
Each day when they ar- Thursday, Trump promised miles (1,350 kilometers) to set to playing her favorite sell drugs.
rive in a new town on the an executive order next the nearest U.S. border game of “stylist,” combing They made it as far as the
long trek across the steamy week that would auto- crossing at McAllen, Texas. everyone’s hair as she loves town of Tenosique in Mex-
southern Mexico country- matically deny asylum to For families the long trek to do back home. Flores ico’s Tabasco state, not
side, she looks first for a migrants who try to enter has imposed a particularly said she sings the tradition- far from the Guatemalan
sheltered place to sleep. the United States illegally grueling routine that has al Spanish folk song “La Cu- border. But the gang was
On this day that was a red between ports of entry. U.S. taken a toll after more than caracha,” to while away threatening their other
tarp that a group of mi- immigration laws currently two weeks. the hours on the road. siblings and mother back
grants stretched across a allow migrants to seek asy- The migrants rise by 3 a.m. “It’s only that it’s really tire- home, so they returned for
playground in the main lum no matter how they ar- each day to take advan- some to walk,” she said. them.
square of the southern rive in the U.S. tage of cooler tempera- Standing on the steps of “Since they were looking for
town of Tapanatepec. Unless they unexpectedly tures. the town’s church, 4-year- us to sell drugs, they went
Then she and Eleonor went find some way of travel- Parents try to feed kids who old Madelin held a small looking to beat Keneth
in search of food and bath- ing faster — and Mexican are awake while letting bible and pretended to up,” Jordy said.
rooms. officials have shown no in- those small enough to carry preach with Pentecostal If they make it to the United
“I don’t think you can pre- clination to facilitate that or put in a stroller sleep. fervor, waving her arms and States, the twins hope to re-
pare children psychologi- — they are still weeks away Since the group usually stomping back and forth. turn to school.
cally, but we have to in from reaching the U.S. camps in town squares and Suddenly she grabbed a The brothers were a year
some way make it like a border. Thousands have most include some sort of medicine bottle and, hold- away from finishing high
game, like telling them it’s a already dropped out, ap- playground, children run ing it like a microphone, let school when their parents
vacation,” Valle said, add- plying for asylum in Mexico around the monkey bars in out a scream. pulled them out for safety
ing that it has been hard or accepting free bus rides the dark while their parents “She’s very dramatic,” her reasons.
on Eleonor. “It’s not right, home, and many more are pack. mother Mileybi Ramos said, “First we’re going to have
but sometimes the situation expected to do the same. On a recent day, one laughing at her daughter’s to find a place to stay,”
obliges you.” A caravan earlier this year woman walked with a antics. Jordy said. “Afterward we’ll
With Tuesday’s U.S. midterm fizzled to just about 200 length of black cord tied Under a sheet of black plas- make a little money to buy
elections just days away, who actually made it to the to the wrists of her daugh- tic stretched taut with rocks a house and live normally
President Donald Trump Tijuana-San Diego border. ter and another girl so she to weigh it down, 4-year- with our family.”q