- Title: Drone footage shows Guatemalan army blocking path of Venezuelan migrants
- Date: 18th October 2022
- Summary: HUIXTLA, CHIAPAS (OCTOBER 17, 2022) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF VENEZUELAN MIGRANTS WALKING ON ROAD (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN MIGRANT, DARWIN PINERO, SAYING: “We just want to reach our destination. These people here will not stop until they reach their goal to achieve a dream that all of us who are walking want to attain. If we need to walk all day and night until we rea
- Embargoed: 1st November 2022 04:31
- Keywords: Guatemala Honduras Mexico United States Venezuela immigrants migration
- Location: MOTAGUA RIVER, GUATEMALA / HUIXTLA, CHIAPAS, MEXICO
- City: MOTAGUA RIVER, GUATEMALA / HUIXTLA, CHIAPAS, MEXICO
- Country: Various
- Topics: Asylum/Immigration/Refugees,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA002295018102022RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Guatemalan soldiers blocked a group of hundreds of migrants - including Venezuelans - and fired tear gas to prevent them from entering the country on Sunday (October 16).
An unidentified army officer said that around 250 migrants from various nationalities had tried to cross a bridge on the Motagua River, which establishes the border with Honduras.
Authorities said they would verify the migrants complied with the documentation needed to enter the country.
The blockade happened after the U.S. announced on October 12th that it would grant up to 24,000 Venezuelans humanitarian access to the United States by air, while enabling U.S. officials to expel to Mexico those caught trying to cross illegally by land.
The plan is the latest bid to curb record numbers of illegal crossings at the Mexico-U.S. border fuelled in part by a jump in Venezuelans entering Mexico to try to reach the United States.
Meanwhile, Mexican authorities have tried to discourage the formation of Venezuelan migrant caravans by saying any who do will not be eligible to enter the United States under the new scheme.
Regardless, small groups of migrants formed in the southern state of Chiapas have kept on walking headed towards the border with the U.S.
While passing through the town of Huixtla, Venezuelan migrant Darwin Pinero told Reuters on Monday (October 17) it was unlikely any of the people in his group would stop until they reached their destination, even if that meant walking day and night.
On Saturday (October 15), officials with Mexico's National Institute of Migration (INM) backed by the National Guard broke up migrant groups trying to move from the southern border state of Chiapas into neighbouring Oaxaca, where Venezuelans have been gathering to obtain transit permits, an INM source said.
To qualify for the U.S. program, Venezuelans will need to be able to secure a sponsor in the United States in advance.
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