- Title: Central American migrants in Oaxaca ready trip north to beat Trump's inauguration
- Date: 28th December 2016
- Summary: IXTEPEC, OAXACA, MEXICO (DECEMBER 26, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF EXTERIOR OF MIGRANT SHELTER 'BROTHERS ALONG THE ROAD' MIGRANT SHOWING HIS BELONGINGS BEFORE ENTERING SHELTER VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS ON LINE WAITING TO ENTER SHELTER CAFETERIA VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS IN CAFETERIA (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ALEJANDRO JORGE PON, GUATEMALAN MIGRANT, SAYING: "Usually, we look to these days, the holidays, because we understand that there are fewer agents, the paths are more unobstructed, so yes, that's what we try to do: cross on the holidays because we know they are fairly unobstructed." MIGRANTS EATING 'BROTHERS ALONG THE WAY' SHELTER FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR, FATHER ALEJANDRO SOLALINDE, EATING WITH MIGRANTS IN CAFETERIA VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS IN SHELTER (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) EDGAR DANIEL, EL SALVADOR MIGRANT, SAYING: "No, at no time, never, did it even cross my mind nor have I thought of staying here or anything like that. I have always thought of continuing forward, going forward and not turning around and going back. There is a reason why we suffer. We suffer along all this route for a reason. We are not going to waste the walking, the lack of sleep, the thirst, the hunger, everything. No, no, it's a challenge we have made for ourselves and we fight for it, to go ahead." VARIOUS OF SOLALINDE TALKING WITH MIGRANT (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) 'BROTHERS ALONG THE WAY' SHELTER FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR, FATHER ALEJANDRO SOLALINDE, SAYING: "October, November, December, January-- it (referring to number of migrants) goes down but it hasn't not gone down. It hasn't gone down at all; to the contrary, they continue arriving. Today, a new group arrived and they impressed me very much. We have been meeting with them during these days, at night, to talk about their protection. First, we ask them to see who really wants to go to the United States and it continues to be the majority of them-- I don't know if it's 70 percent. As far as the other 30 percent, I don't know if they will say no and go, but who knows what they will do later on?" MIGRANTS IN SHELTER MAP SHOWING MIGRANT ROUTES INTO U.S. VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS WALKING ALONG TRAIN TRACKS
- Embargoed: 12th January 2017 03:08
- Keywords:
- Location: IXTEPEC, OAXACA, MEXICO
- City: IXTEPEC, OAXACA, MEXICO
- Country: Mexico
- Topics: Asylum/Immigration/Refugees,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0015ENRRRB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Central American migrants are making a final push during the holiday season to make their way to the U.S. before president-elect Donald Trump takes office.
Father Alejandro Salalinde is a Mexican Roman Catholic priest who has dedicated his life to running the Brothers along the Way migrant shelter in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca.
Here, the migrants-- primarily men from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras-- receive food, water and a clean place to sleep as they make their way northward, hoping to make it to the United States.
Besides from dealing with the challenge of the natural elements, the migrants have to make their way past cartels and petty thieves while evading both Mexican and U.S. migration officials.
Guatemalan migrant Alejandro Jorge Pon said he decided to cross during the holiday season because he had heard staffing was light and he might have better odds of avoiding border agents.
"Usually, we look to these days, the holidays, because we understand that there are fewer agents, the paths are more unobstructed, so yes, that's what we try to do: cross on the holidays because we know they are fairly unobstructed," Pon said.
But this year, the number of migrants has surged since Trump's victory, according to Central American officials, contributing to a growing logjam along the southern U.S. border.
Trump won in part by taking a hard line on immigration, threatening to deport millions of undocumented migrants and forcing Mexico to erect a wall along the U.S. border.
Only about half of all unauthorized migrants in the U.S. in 2014 were from Mexico, according to the Pew Research Center, and the number of undocumented migrants from other nations has been growing dramatically. Regardless of their country of origin, many do cross from Mexico.
While the paths have recently seen migrants from Africa, Haiti, Cuba and India, the vast majority are Central Americans who are avoiding the poverty, unemployment and cartel-fueled violence at home.
Trump's tough campaign rhetoric sent tremors through the slums of Central America and the close-knit migrant communities in U.S. cities, with many choosing to fast-forward their plans and migrate north before he takes office on January 20.
As he sits outside the shelter, Salvadoran migrant Edgar Daniel said he does not want to stay in Mexico.
"No, at no time, never, did it even cross my mind nor have I thought of staying here or anything like that. I have always thought of continuing forward, going forward and not turning around and going back. There is a reason why we suffer. We suffer along all this route for a reason. We are not going to waste the walking, the lack of sleep, the thirst, the hunger, everything. No, no, it's a challenge we have made for ourselves and we fight for it, to go ahead," he said.
Father Alejandro said this year's flood of migrants has remained steady and most of them tell him they want to make it to the United States.
"October, November, December, January-- it (referring to number of migrants) goes down but it hasn't not gone down. It hasn't gone down at all; to the contrary, they continue arriving. Today, a new group arrived and they impressed me very much. We have been meeting with them during these days, at night, to talk about their protection. First, we ask them to see who really wants to go to the United States and it continues to be the majority of them-- I don't know if it's 70 percent. As far as the other 30 percent, I don't know if they will say no and go, but who knows what they will do later on?" he said.
After several years of decreased immigration, the United States detained nearly 410,000 people along the southwest border with Mexico in fiscal year 2016, up about a quarter from the previous year. The vast majority hailed from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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