Caravan pushes deeper into Mexico

TAPACHULA, Mexico - Thousands of Honduran migrants hoping to reach the United States stretched out on rain-soaked sidewalks, benches and public plazas in the southern Mexico city of Tapachula, worn down by another day's march under a blazing sun.

Keeping together for strength and safety in numbers, some huddled under a metal roof in the city's main plaza on Sunday night. Others lay exhausted in the open air, with only thin sheets of plastic to protect them from ground soggy after an intense evening shower. Some didn't even have a bit of plastic yet.

"We are going to sleep here in the street, because we have nothing else," said Jose Mejia, 42, a father of four from the Honduran city of San Pedro Sula. "We have to sleep on the sidewalk, and tomorrow wake up and keep walking. We'll get a piece of plastic to cover ourselves if it rains again."

The group's advance has drawn strong criticism from US President Donald Trump, who lashed out again on Sunday at the Democratic Party over what he apparently sees as a winning issue for Republicans a little over two weeks ahead of midterm elections.

After blaming the Democrats for "weak laws" on immigration a few days earlier, Trump said via Twitter: "The Caravans are a disgrace to the Democrat party. Change the immigration laws NOW!"

An irate Trump insisted that "full efforts" were underway to halt the caravan's progress toward the US. "People have to apply for asylum in Mexico first, and if they fail to do that, the US will turn them away."

Mexican President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador suggested on Sunday that the US, Canada and Mexico work out a joint plan for funding development in the poor areas of Central America and southern Mexico.

The migrant caravan, which started out more than a week ago with less than 200 participants, has drawn additional people along the way and it swelled to an estimated 5,000 on Sunday after many migrants found ways to cross from Guatemala into southern Mexico as police blocked the official crossing point.

Later in the day, authorities in Guatemala said another group of about 1,000 migrants had entered that country from Honduras.

AP - AFP

(China Daily 10/23/2018 page12)