Caravan of 4,000 Hondurans sets off for US in hopes of better life

By Sinan Dogan

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) – Thousands of Hondurans, including women and children, have formed a caravan and set off for the US in hopes of a better life, despite controversial US measure such as the detention of over 1.7 million irregular migrants along the Mexican border over the last 12 months.

Local media reported on Thursday that 4,000 people formed a new caravan in the country, which has been plagued by violence, unemployment, and poverty. These irregular migrants first hope to reach Villa Comaltitlan in Mexico's Chiapas state, then continue to the US border via Mexico City.

According to the National Migration Institute (INM) of Mexico, the caravan includes more than 1,800 women and children.

Mexico has also deployed 500 soldiers to the border to stop the influx of migrants.

According to US Customs and Border Protection data, border security forces detained over 1.7 million irregular migrants between October 2020 and September 2021, with one million of them being deported to Mexico or their home countries.

For many years, many Central American migrants have attempted to enter the US via Guatemala and Mexico.

In September 2019, Honduras and the US signed an asylum cooperation agreement that requires Honduras to receive asylum-seekers who are referred by the US.

Under the pact, Honduras cannot return or remove the migrants until their asylum cases are resolved by the US federal authorities, according to a Human Rights Watch report.