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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Migrants clash with Mexican troops at border

Duration: 01:53s 0 shares 1 views

Migrants clash with Mexican troops at border
Migrants clash with Mexican troops at border

Mexican authorities stopped the latest caravan of Central American migrants attempting to head north on Monday.

Migrants clashed with Mexico's national guard and hundreds were detained and deported.

Libby Hogan reports.

The latest caravan of Central American migrants clashed with a wall of troops at Mexico's border this week.

National guard forces were lined up along the river border with Guatemala on Monday (January 20) They stood against several thousand people who fled gang violence last week.

Then came chaotic scuffles before some managed to break through gaps between troops and ran across the riverbank.

Migrant Jose Castillo was among those facing Mexican forces.

(SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MIGRANT, JOSE CASTILLO, SAYING: "There is a big difference (in the caravans) because in the caravans from previous years you were only (on the border between Guatemala and Mexico) for two days and after two days they let you pass.

The first caravan from 2018, people came through.

And now they (Mexican authorities) don't even let us go through the river.

" This latest caravan is a test for Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

He's trying to stop undocumented Central American migrants bound for the U.S., at the bidding of U.S. President Donald Trump.

If Mexico and Central American countries can't contain migrants, Trump has threatened economic pain.

Obrador said Tuesday (January 21) operations at the border were meant to protect migrants.

Many in the caravan had been walking for days, carrying armfuls of belongings and some with a child on their hip.

But authorities say hundreds were detained and later deported by bus or plane like Iris Hernandes.

(SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) DEPORTEE, IRIS HERNANDES, SAYING: "It was a very hard experience, for all those people who want to go (cross the border in caravan), it is very difficult to cross now.

Wherever you go they surround you, grab people and return them to Honduras." A Reuters witness also spoke to at least two mothers whose children went missing among the border chaos.

Mexican migration officials later said there were no reports of lost minors.

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