No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsLatin AmericaActivists Denounce Migrant Abuse at Mexico-Guatemala Border

Activists Denounce Migrant Abuse at Mexico-Guatemala Border

Catholic priests, activists, and locals participated on Thursday in a symbolic march near the border between Mexico and Guatemala to denounce the abuses suffered by migrants on their journey to the United States. Around 100 people walked approximately two kilometers from the Casa del Migrante Sin Frontera in Tecún Umán, western Guatemala. They then crossed the border river Suchiate on the same makeshift rafts used by migrants and attended a mass at a church in Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico.

The purpose of the event was to raise awareness about the realities of migration, explained Gemayel Fuentes, coordinator of the Casa del Migrante. “What we seek is for migrants to be recognized not only in their country of origin but also in transit and destination countries,” Fuentes added.

Some participants carried flags from Guatemala, Mexico, other Latin American countries, and the United States. The Suchiate River, approximately 150 meters wide, is crossed daily by migrants on precarious rafts made from truck tires.

Migrants “flee” their home countries due to “constant persecution, violence, hunger, lack of employment, and insufficient wages,” stated the dioceses of San Marcos (Guatemala) and Tapachula (Mexico) in a joint communiqué. In search of a better life, migrants cross “mountains, deserts, and rivers, risking their lives to escape wars, political persecution, hunger, and a lack of opportunities in all areas of society,” the statement continued.

The dioceses highlighted that “in Chiapas, migrants are at the mercy of cartels who freely rob, extort, kidnap, and murder them in plain sight of authorities.” Migrants also suffer from “excessive fees, illegal checkpoints, discrimination, sexual abuse, human trafficking, and child exploitation,” all exacerbated by the lack of policies to address these issues, the statement added.

Casa del Migrante, established in 1996, provides free shelter, food, medicine, medical care, lab services, phone calls, internet, and legal advice to around 150 people daily, Fuentes detailed. Last year, the center assisted 30,122 migrants, and so far this year, the number has already exceeded 31,000, Fuentes noted.

Central America and Mexico serve as a corridor for thousands of migrants from around the world seeking to reach the United States.

Trending Now

Costa Rica Women’s National Team Coach Steps Down Amid World Cup Push

The Costa Rican Soccer Federation dropped a major update this week: Spanish coach Beni Rubido is stepping down from his role with the women's...

Costa Rica Ranger Trapped After Falling off Cliff on Cocos Island

Rescue teams in Costa Rica continue their efforts to save a park ranger who fell down a 40-meter cliff on Isla del Coco. The...

Guatemala Accepts First Honduran Deportees from US

Guatemala has started accepting deportees from other countries as part of its deal with the United States, with the first group of Hondurans arriving...

Back North from Costa Rica: An Expat’s Culture Shock

I am presently away from Costa Rica. I am in a foreign country. I was born here, but it is now a different place...

Costa Rica Faces Nicaragua in Key World Cup Qualifier Match

Costa Rica takes on Nicaragua this Tuesday at the Estadio Nacional in a match that could shape their path in the 2026 World Cup...

Costa Rica Coast Guard Seizes Illegal Gillnets in Protected Refuge

Costa Rican Coast Guard officers pulled nearly a kilometer of illegal gillnets from protected waters in the Barra del Colorado National Wildlife Refuge during...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica