Mexican agents nibble at edges of migrant caravans
JUCHITAN, Mexico — Thousands of Central American migrants resumed their slow trek through southern Mexico on Thursday, as immigration agents and police nibbled at the edges of the two caravans currently in the country.
Mexican authorities haven’t directly targeted the main caravan of about 4,000 migrants, and activists aiding that group said they were shifting their route toward the Gulf coast, a path closer to the Texas border.
But a second, smaller caravan about 200 miles behind the first group appeared to be more leaderless, get less press attention and be more vulnerable.
A federal official who was not authorized to be quoted by name said 153 migrants in the second caravan were detained Wednesday during highway inspections in the southern state of Chiapas, a short distance from the Guatemalan border. While the precise size of the second caravan is unclear, that could be equivalent to about 10 per cent of those participating.