Latino

Migrants say caravan escort group misled them on dangers of trip

by Emily Birnbaum - 12/23/18 7:41 PM ET

Some migrants and activists are claiming the escort group that latest led the so-called migrant caravan across Mexico by foot misled participants about the dangers of the trek, according to The Associated Press.

Pueblo Sin Fronteras, or People Without Borders, allegedly downplayed how dangerous the trip would be and misled the migrants about how long they would have to stay in Mexico while asylum claims are being processed, critics told the AP.

{mosads}“We were never told along the way that it would be this hard,” Adelaida Gonzalez told the AP. Gonzalez came from Guatemala with her son and neighbor.

The organization has reportedly led multiple caravans to the U.S. border, but this is the biggest it has organized so far.

The group of thousands of migrants is currently waiting in Tijuana hoping for asylum in the U.S.

“They know the wall is very big, and they will not be very welcome in the U.S. by many people,” Pueblo Sin Fronteras founder Roberto Corona told the AP. “But still they have hope of coming here, that at least their rights will be more protected, and they will be able to make a living.”

Corona told the news service that many of the migrants weighed the dangers of the trip and decided it was a worthwhile attempt to escape poverty and violence in their home countries.

Four of the migrants traveling with the caravan have died, the AP reported. One man was killed when he fell off a truck, one was killed on a highway, and two were stabbed in Tijuana.

The group has been waiting in squalid conditions in Tijuana for weeks, which multiple people told the AP they were not expecting.

U.S. authorities are processing about 100 asylum claims per day.

The Department of Homeland Security last week announced that Central American migrants seeking asylum in the United States will be sent to Mexico while their cases are evaluated, a move that is likely to face significant court challenges.

Trump has seized on the migrant caravan with hostility, requesting the deployment of thousands of troops at the border and signing a proclamation that would prevent some of its members from claiming asylum.

Tags Central American migrant caravan