Ocotepeque, Honduras.
During the night when the customs off Agua Caliente, Guatemala-Honduras border, remains closed, does not stop the passage of migrants seeking the “American Dream”.
Although the United States announced this week that Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras would be fencing off their borders to stop the passage of migrants, in the dividing lines between these two Central American countries, everything is normal and only guarded by a few troops. police as usual.
Even without caravans, dozens of migrants carry out the migration procedure to enter Guatemala during the day, and other groups manage to pass clandestinely using the checkpoints. blind people helped by “coyotes”.
They go alone or in small groups so as not to attract attention in the hope of not being seen by the military and police scattered all over the place. in the borders of both countries.
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THE PRESS He traveled the border at night in search of people going to the United States and noticed the intense migration flow of Hondurans and foreigners through this border point in the west of the country.
At midnight last Tuesday, April 13, a bus from Tegucigalpa arrived in Ocotepeque and was detained at a checkpoint by National Police officers, and to their surprise, 46 Haitians and three Honduran migrants were transported towards Hot Water. .
The Haitians, with a little fear on their faces and no command of the Spanish language, got off the bus and their immigration status and the veracity of their documents were assessed.
Police confirmed that they had entered the country illegally through the department from El Paraíso, After paying a fine of L 4,500 per person to the Migration Institute, they were allowed to circulate in the country for five days and then leave as they entered.
Although the Haitian migrants intended not to return to where they entered, there was no reason to stop them and continue their journey after an hour of validation with the Public Prosecution Service.
“We are going to the United States in search of work and a better life. We have moved through South America. It has been a very difficult journey, we barely managed to buy food from the money they send us our relatives, ”he told LA PRENSA one of the few Haitians who spoke Spanish.
At a second checkpoint near the border, they were ordered to return to Ocotepeque, as the customs was closed.
“We cannot stop them, they have paid a fine to Migration and they can circulate in Honduras for five days if they go illegally. Guatemala is already a responsibility in its territory. However, we will not let them go to the border because it is closed, ” said one of the agents in the operation.
The foreigners were taken into custody in Ocotepeque Park at 3am and in the absence of an explanation from the police, some began to cry and others to complain to the driver and order him to take them to the border without wanting to get out. the unit. With the sunrise, the Haitians planned their arrival to Guatemala for blind spots.
Motivations
Other Honduran migrants remained at the border with Agua Caliente at midnight on Tuesday, awaiting the opportunity to pass through Guatemala, as the Guatemalan Police and Military he had pushed them back during an operation in Chiquimula.
“We are electrical engineers, there is no work in Honduras, but the passage through Guatemala is difficult. We have several vYou often go out via Agua Caliente. When I ran out I left the bag thrown away. This is the third time we have left and the one we have traveled the shortest distance, ”said one Sampedrano who identified himself only as Kevin.
That day, after sunrise, at 6:00 am, dozens of Hondurans and foreigners got ready to travel after receiving the service in hotels and Ocotepeque hostels.
On the border of Corinth, The situation is no different between Cortés and Izabal. “Many wait for the night to climb the hills and around the border. The situation in Honduras is regrettable “said truck driver Ernesto Madrigal.
Others walked at midnight but returned home deported from Mexico and the United States; some are hoping to get ready to head north again.
Mistake
Istmania Platero, a human rights defender and researcher specializing in migration, confirmed that there are policies to suppress migrants, but that there are no preventive policies.
“Militarization at the borders means that the human right to migrate is no longer seen as such. The state of Honduras is identified as a promoter to leave the country due to corruption and lack of opportunities. The government is not making any efforts to protect the population or create jobs, ”he added.
Elena Toledo, director of the Eléutera Foundation, He said the request for militarization of the region by the United States is not a measure that will stop migration, quite the contrary, it will further complicate the scenario.
“It strikes me that Guatemala is ignoring this issue when they saw the reaction they had to stop the caravan that had passed by militarizing the section that the Honduran migrants would pass through.
Mexico, on the other hand, had been pursuing this militaristic behavior since the Trump administration, ”he noted.
Toledo added that he agrees that migration is a right, albeit in a regular, safe and orderly manner; However, the question should not be, how can migrants be stopped? Why don’t they stay in their country?
“Simply because there is no citizen or legal certainty and there is no social mobility to reduce human mobility. There is no support for the people, no clear rules, no funding for MSMEs and job creation, therefore the migration will continue for these reasons and the only ones to win are the coyotes and the traffickers, ”he said.
Guadalupe Ruelas, director of Casa Alianza, He said that of the 18,000 children held at the border with the United States from January to March this year, there are more than 3,000 Honduran minors.
“The issue of militarization is worrying as repression is expected,” he wondered.