Clashes, kidnappings, and physical injuries have been reported during the migratory route to the U.S. | Photo: Prensa Latina

Mexico City, July 15 (RHC)-- Over one hundred migrants of various nationalities left on Thursday for the town of Huixtla, in the Mexican state of Chiapas in order to apply for documentation that allows them to reach the U.S. border.

The tour began at the migration regularization offices of the National Migration Institute (INM) in Tapachula, Chiapas after several days in the surrounding area waiting for authorization.

It is estimated that the marches and protests in front of the institution pressured the authorities to grant the transit permit, a process that they slow down in exchange for dollars that these migrants do not have.

The 16-hour walk is made under the sun and temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius over 50 kilometers of asphalt that separate the towns of Tapachula and Huixtla.  In an attempt to survive, several Haitian migrants got into an altercation with vendors in the center of the city because of the sales space.

Wilner Metelus, president of the Citizens' Committee in Defense of the Naturalized and Afro-Mexicans, asked the Tapachula authorities to intervene.

In the last week there have been reports of several caravans of migrants leaving Tapachula with a 30-day temporary permit that gives them time to seek asylum at the U.S. border.

All of this is happening in a political context where the presidents of Mexico and the U.S. are discussing their immigration policies based on factors such as the need for migrants in the U.S. for service jobs.

The current wave of migration in Latin America is driven by the impact of the pandemic, the economic and fuel crisis around the world.  The caravans face the route with economic shortages and, in many cases, physical wear and tear due to the requirements of the overland crossings between countries.