150 Migrants Move Closer to US as Mexican Mayor Seeks UN Help

24 November 2018
Telesur

Currently, there are some 5,000 migrants in the border town of Tijuana, after fleeing violence and poverty, in their home countries, with the intention to seek asylum in the United States.

About 150 migrants broke away from the Central American caravan and inched closer to the United States-Mexico border, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. The group settled some 152 feet within the border that separates the United States from Mexico.

Mayor of Mexico’s border town Tijuana declared that an international humanitarian crisis is in effect and, as a result, have requested assistance from the United Nations.

On Thursday, Mayor Juan Manuel Gastelum asked the United Nations to help with the influx of migrants, while accusing the Mexican federal government of neglect. Additionally, United States President Donald Trump threatened to close the entire southern shared border.

"If we find that it's uncontrollable, if we find it gets to a level where we are going to lose control or where people are going to start getting hurt, we will close entry into the country for a period of time until we can get it under control.”

Trump has also remarked, on several occasions, that the caravan is filled with criminals, gang members and terrorists. “I have no choice,” the U.S. president said, adding that “you’re dealing with a minimum of 500 serious criminals” and “rough people.”

Currently, there are some 5,000 migrants - occupying a make-shift camp - in the town, after fleeing violence and poverty, in their home countries,  with the intention to seek asylum in the United States.

On Wednesday, Mexico's National Immigration Institute announced that 213 migrants were taken into custody and transferred to a processing center.

The migrants were held on a highway between the Guatemalan border and the southern Mexican city of Tapachula.

The caravan left Honduras last month and traveled to Mexico.