Caravan breaks fence, down gate at Mexico crossing.
The caravan of Honduran migrants making their way to the US stormed through a border gate in Guatemala on Friday morning to run over a bridge to Mexico where they were met with tear gas from riot police before being allowed into the country and continue their march towards America.
The group of around 4,000 migrants overpowered police first in Tecun Uman, Guatemala, to make their way over the short bridge into Ciudad Hidalgo in Mexican’s southernmost state of Chiapas.
At least a dozen people jumped into the water, either to try and swim across the river of simply because they were trying to get away from the crowds in the stifling heat.
The migrants had been forced to retreat and reorganize earlier in the day after being met with strong resistance.
After crossing the bridge, they were confronted by a daunting force of armed Mexican officers who threw tear gas in their direction and stood in lines, lifting up children who ran towards them and standing firm behind their shields.
After a standoff, they agreed they would let some of the migrants through and started asking that they form lines.
They plan to allow women and children into the country first.
The decision flies in the face of President Trump’s plea to Mexican officials on Thursday to put an end to the caravan’s progress.
Though the State Department and Mexican officials have agreed on a plan to shelter any of the migrants who make asylum claims in shelters, their decision to let them carry on north on Friday sends them marching on towards the US.
Videos showed the thousands of migrants celebrating on the bridge once they had managed to get over the crossing.
A Honduran woman interviewed at the Guatemala/Mexico border by Noticias, who did not give her name, said: ‘We are going to the United States. We know God is going to help us because we can’t live in Honduras, our country. Every month the president is raising electricity costs. We can’t live. We can’t live with him.
‘We are suffering a lot (on this trip). Sleeping on the ground but it’s worth it for my children as they can see that my country is not worth anything. That president we have is worthless.
‘Can I send a message to Trump? Mr. Trump I ask of you to take Juan Orlando [Hernandez] out from my country. You have him there. Look how my country is turning out. The young people in my country, Honduras’ youth, look at how they’re suffering, kids in coffins, kids along the way have died, pregnant women have died on us because of this delinquent man that we have in the country. … Trump has him in there. Take him out mister. Take him out of the country. We don’t want him. It’s a president he [Trump] placed, we didn’t place him.’
I have a few questions. Did Donald Trump actually install this Juan Orlando as president of Honduras? I understand that the conditions there maybe terrible but the United States cannot possibly be expected to help refugees from every part of the world. We have had several natural disasters this year which caused billions and billions of dollars, not one country has volunteered money or services to help us, yet aliens pour into our country unchecked, illegally, take American jobs, send monies made here back to their families in Honduras so that they can too come over illegally. Their cash cow has gone dry, now what?