'We're starving': U.S.-bound migrant caravan hunkers down after Guatemala crackdown
By Luis Echeverria
© Reuters/LUIS ECHEVERRIA Hondurans take part in a new caravan of migrants, set to head to the United States, in Vado Hondo
VADO HONDO, Guatemala (Reuters) - Hundreds of Honduran migrants huddled overnight on a highway in eastern Guatemala after domestic security forces used sticks and tear gas to halt the passage of a U.S.-bound caravan just days before U.S. President-elect Joe Biden takes office.
VADO HONDO, Guatemala (Reuters) - Hundreds of Honduran migrants huddled overnight on a highway in eastern Guatemala after domestic security forces used sticks and tear gas to halt the passage of a U.S.-bound caravan just days before U.S. President-elect Joe Biden takes office.
© Reuters/LUIS ECHEVERRIA Hondurans take part in a new caravan of migrants, set to head to the United States, in Vado Hondo
As many as 8,000 migrants, including families with young children, have entered Guatemala since Friday, authorities say, fleeing poverty and lawlessness in a region rocked by the coronavirus pandemic and back-to-back hurricanes in November.
As many as 8,000 migrants, including families with young children, have entered Guatemala since Friday, authorities say, fleeing poverty and lawlessness in a region rocked by the coronavirus pandemic and back-to-back hurricanes in November.
© Reuters/CARLOS JASSO A man holds a mobile phone as immigration agents stand by the bank of the Suchiate River, while they guard the border with the National Guard to prevent a migrant caravan of Central Americans from entering, in Ciudad Hidalgo
"There's no food or water, and there are thousands of children, pregnant women, babies, and they don't want to let us pass," said a Honduran stuck at the blockade, who gave his name only as Pedro.
Guatemalan authorities say they have sent hundreds of migrants back to Honduras.
A Reuters witness said about 2,000 migrants were still camped out on the highway near the village of Vado Hondo, about 55 km (34 miles) from the borders of Honduras and El Salvador, after clashing with Guatemalan security forces on Sunday.
Gallery: Guatemalan forces clash with major U.S.-bound migrant caravan (Reuters)
4 Slides of 31: Hondurans taking part in a new caravan of migrants clash with Guatemalan soldiers as they try to cross into Guatemalan territory, in Vado Hondo, Guatemala January 17, 2021. Guatemalan security forces used sticks to beat back a migrant caravan after thousands of people set off from Honduras for the United States this week, just as President-elect Joe Biden prepares to enter the White House. Between 7,000 and 8,000 migrants have entered Guatemala since Friday, according to Guatemala's immigration authority, fleeing poverty and violence in a region hammered by the coronavirus pandemic and back-to-back hurricanes in November. 31 SLIDES © Reuters
"There's no food or water, and there are thousands of children, pregnant women, babies, and they don't want to let us pass," said a Honduran stuck at the blockade, who gave his name only as Pedro.
Guatemalan authorities say they have sent hundreds of migrants back to Honduras.
A Reuters witness said about 2,000 migrants were still camped out on the highway near the village of Vado Hondo, about 55 km (34 miles) from the borders of Honduras and El Salvador, after clashing with Guatemalan security forces on Sunday.
Gallery: Guatemalan forces clash with major U.S.-bound migrant caravan (Reuters)
4 Slides of 31: Hondurans taking part in a new caravan of migrants clash with Guatemalan soldiers as they try to cross into Guatemalan territory, in Vado Hondo, Guatemala January 17, 2021. Guatemalan security forces used sticks to beat back a migrant caravan after thousands of people set off from Honduras for the United States this week, just as President-elect Joe Biden prepares to enter the White House. Between 7,000 and 8,000 migrants have entered Guatemala since Friday, according to Guatemala's immigration authority, fleeing poverty and violence in a region hammered by the coronavirus pandemic and back-to-back hurricanes in November. 31 SLIDES © Reuters
Hondurans taking part in a new caravan of migrants clash with Guatemalan soldiers as they try to cross into Guatemalan territory, in Vado Hondo, Guatemala January 17, 2021. Guatemalan security forces used sticks to beat back a migrant caravan after thousands of people set off from Honduras for the United States this week, just as President-elect Joe Biden prepares to enter the White House. Between 7,000 and 8,000 migrants have entered Guatemala since Friday, according to Guatemala's immigration authority, fleeing poverty and violence in a region hammered by the coronavirus pandemic and back-to-back hurricanes in November. REUTERS/Luis Echeverria
"We're starving," said one Honduran mother, stuck behind the cordon with her 15-year-old son, her daughter, 9, and her 4-year-old niece.
"All we have is water and a few cookies," said the woman, who declined to give her name, but added that she and other travelers had formed a prayer circle as they camped out.
Other migrants evaded the gridlock by fleeing into the hills to continue onward to the border of Mexico, where the government has deployed police and National Guard troopers.
"We ran into the mountains because I'm traveling with my one-year-old," said Diany Deras, another Honduran.
Mexico's border with Guatemala was quiet.
"All is calm here," said a National Guardsman in charge of a border crossing directly opposite Tecun Uman, Guatemala, where caravan leaders hope to cross into Mexico. He sought anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to media.
© Reuters/LUIS ECHEVERRIA Hondurans take part in a new caravan of migrants, set to head to the United States, in Vado Hondo"I hope Guatemala contains them," he added.
(Reporting by Luis Echeverria in Vado Hondo, Sofia Menchu in Guatemala City and Laura Gottesdiener in Tapachula; Writing by Laura Gottesdiener; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
© Reuters/LUIS ECHEVERRIA Hondurans take part in a new caravan of migrants, set to head to the United States, in Vado Hondo
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