Thousands of people are joining groups bound for the United States to escape a life of poverty and violence. Two devastating hurricanes hit the region at the end of last year, exacerbating the economic pressure caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Guatemalan Ministry of Foreign Affairs has asked Honduran authorities to do more to “contain the massive departure of its inhabitants” in a statement released on Saturday.
Although it did not respond directly to Guatemala’s request, the National Institute of Migration in Honduras said on social media that it has reinforced three border points between the two countries with immigration inspectors.
A video captured by CNN on Saturday showed a large group of people pushing a cordon of Guatemalan soldiers to gain access to the highways traveling to Mexico. Authorities estimate that almost 3,500 people managed to get through the cord.
Last October, the first large caravan of migrants to the United States since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic left San Pedro Sula in Honduras and crossed into Guatemala with about 1,500 to 2,800 people.
Crossings at the US-Mexico border plummeted during the 2020 blockades. The seizures in April reached the lowest mark in years, around 17,100.
Since then, seizures have steadily increased, with around 70,000 each in the months of October, November and December, according to US Customs and Border Protection statistics.