NGO: INM intensifies operations to stop migrant caravans

Jessica Xantomila and Jared Laureles

La Jornada Newspaper
Wednesday, December 4, 2024, p. 4

The National Migration Institute (INM) increased operations to prevent migrants who are in Chiapas from grouping together in caravans and advancing towards the north of the country, reported the Fray Matías de Córdova Human Rights Center.

The organization, a member of the Southern Border Monitoring Collective, stated that since last week they have received reports of operations of this type in Mapastepec and Arraiga, while on Monday they occurred in Tuzantán and Huehuetán.

Around 50 INM officials arrived at the Huehuetán Park, he explained, who They coerced the families to put them in their vehicles and in exchange they offered them a document to travel regularly for 20 days. But we have not seen this document and from experience we know that in the end they do not give them anything, it is only to fragment the caravans.

The Human Rights Center indicated that the people who did not agree to leave with the agents were told: If you don’t want our help, keep moving forward, they can’t be in public spacesso they were forced to withdraw.

The organization stated that yesterday members of the Southern Border Monitoring Collective went out to carry out field work and We saw the INM operations in which they approach people, intimidate them and offer to transfer them to another space so that they can give them a supposed document for humanitarian reasons valid for 20 days..

He expressed his concern about the actions of the INM. We know what happened in 2021, when there were very violent operations against the caravans. The ways now are very similar, nothing more than that they are taking great care of the presence of organizations and the press so they don’t document it.

He pointed out that this happened last Monday, since the immigration agents, seeing that they were being recorded by the press and defenders of migrants’ rights They held back, because they were going against the people.

The number of migrant caravans that have left Chiapas has increased since Donald Trump’s victory. Just on Sunday night a new group left with the aim of reaching that country.

For its part, the Casa Tocha shelter, in Mexico City, stated that the State is not attending to migrants, but it is the civil organizations, which also We are making visible the violence they suffer and demanding justice for them..