- Title: Mexico is the wall: president under fire over migration clampdown
- Date: 24th January 2020
- Summary: TECUN UMAN, GUATEMALA (JANUARY 24, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS, MIGRANTS AT SHELTER IMMIGRATION CHECKPOINT AT BORDER VARIOUS, GUATEMALAN POLICE AT BORDER POST SIGN READING (Spanish) "WELCOME TO MEXICO" SEEN FROM GUATEMALAN SIDE OF BORDER MEXICAN NATIONAL GUARDS SEEN FROM GUATEMALAN SIDE BRIDGE AT BORDER BETWEEN GUATEMALA AND MEXICO
- Embargoed: 7th February 2020 21:15
- Keywords: Central America Guatemala Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador asylum caravan emigration immigrants migrants refugees
- Location: CIUDAD HIDALGO & FRONTERA HIDALGO, CHIAPAS & MEXICO CITY, MEXICO / TECUN UMAN, GUATEMALA
- City: CIUDAD HIDALGO & FRONTERA HIDALGO, CHIAPAS & MEXICO CITY, MEXICO / TECUN UMAN, GUATEMALA
- Country: Mexico
- Topics: Asylum/Immigration/Refugees,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA005BXJBVPJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador faces growing criticism he is doing U.S. President Donald Trump's bidding after erecting a "wall" of security forces who clashed with Central American migrants near the Guatemala border this week.
Mexico, under the threat of punitive U.S. tariffs, has bowed to Trump's demands to contain mass movements of migrants traveling through the country toward the U.S. border.
Such concessions previously stirred little criticism from the Mexican public, due to Lopez Obrador's reputation as a leftist willing to support the poor, including migrants from other countries.
But scenes of Mexico's National Guard security force marching behind riot shields straight into a large group of Central Americans and using tear gas has triggered growing dissent, including condemnation from the United Nations.
Lopez Obrador was questioned at his morning news conference for a second straight day about how the National Guard military police and the National Migration Institute (INM) treat migrants.
Images have shown the National Guard corralling entire families and loading them onto buses for detention and deportation.
Lopez Obrador defended the National Guard and INM at his news conference. He said the caravan of Central American migrants was not spontaneous, hinting that Honduran activists were driving the movement for political ends.
As of Thursday (January 24), the INM said it had transferred at least 800 migrants, including unaccompanied minors, to immigration centers where they would be given food, medical attention and shelter.
(Production: Carlos Carrillo, Josue Gonzalez) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None