A caravan of thousands of migrants clashed with Guatemalan officials on Sunday as they continued their journey towards the border with the United States, according to reports.
Security forces used batons to repel the migrant caravan, which left Honduras before President-elect Joe Biden took office.
Honduran immigrants face Guatemalan soldiers in Vado Hondo, Guatemala, Sunday, January 17, 2021. Guatemalan authorities estimate that about 9,000 Honduran immigrants entered Guatemala as part of an effort to form a new caravan to reach the border with the United States . (AP Photo / Sandra Sebastian)
Estimates range from 6,000 to 8,000 migrants who entered Guatemala over the weekend. In contrast, only about 3,000 Guatemalan officers gathered to hold the caravan for Sunday morning’s clash, according to Reuters.
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Several people were injured as the caravan tried to pass the human security forces barricade. The authorities also used tear gas in an attempt to reject the train from people.
A Honduran migrant is served by Guatemalan soldiers after they clashed with them in an attempt to reach the US border in Vado Hondo, Guatemala, on Sunday, January 17, 2021. Guatemalan authorities estimate that up to 9,000 Honduran migrants have crossed to Guatemala as part of an effort to form a new caravan to reach the border with the United States. (AP Photo / Sandra Sebastian)
Some retreated, even fleeing to nearby mountains, the BBC reported.
“Guatemala’s message is loud and clear: this type of illegal mass movement will not be accepted, which is why we are working with neighboring nations to address this as a regional issue,” said the office of the president of Guatemala on the crisis.
Many believe the group was spurred on by Biden’s rhetoric, by which he promised to end President Donald Trump’s stricter immigration policies.
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But on Sunday, an unidentified Biden transition official said that migrants hoping to apply for asylum in the United States during the first weeks of the new administration “need to understand that they will not be able to enter the United States immediately,” NBC News reports.
Transition officer Biden, however, warned migrants against coming to the United States during the early days of the new government, telling NBC that although “help is on the way,” now “it is not time to make the trip”.
“The situation at the border is not going to change overnight,” the official told the vehicle.
Mexico indicated that the caravan will encounter greater resistance.
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President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador promised Trump that he would stop undocumented immigrants, increasing attention and investment along Mexico’s southern border, according to Bloomberg.
Yael Halon of Fox News contributed to this report.