US authorities urge Central American countries to stop Honduran migrants News
US authorities urge Central American countries to stop Honduran migrants

US President Donald Trump’s administration is urging Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador to stop the Honduran “caravan” that has accumulated thousands more migrants while making the trek through South and Central America to the US border, saying the US will cut off aid to the countries if the immigrants make it to the US border.

Honduran migrants began traveling to the US border earlier this month to escape the growing gang violence, drug wars and corruption in Honduras. On Wednesday an estimated 2,000 people attempted to join the already 2,000 people making their way through Guatemala, despite the US’s attempt to thwart migration to the US border.

The Department of Homeland Security has continued to urge migrants and Central American governments to terminate all advancement to the border. Vice President Mike Pence addressed the nations last week about the migrants crisis hitting the US borders:

Over the last year alone, more than 225,000 Guatemalans, Hondurans, and Salvadorans have left their homes and made the often-dangerous journey to attempt to illegally enter the southern border of the United States. They accounted for more than half of all illegal immigrants apprehended at our southern border last year. And these numbers are growing. The number of people from El Salvador who tried to enter the United States illegally has declined, but the number from Honduras is up 61 percent. The number from Guatemala has increased by 75 percent.

Honduras’ foreign ministry has also urged migrants to retreat back to Honduras.