The Mexican government announced it has so far deported more than 2,000 members of the latest migrant caravan, demonstrating how serious they are about fighting illegal immigration, according to The Daily Caller.
Mexico deported roughly 2,303 Honduran migrants between Jan. 18 and Jan. 27. The INM and the Mexican National Guard commissioned 34 buses and eight chartered airplanes to expedite the removal of the apprehended migrants. Some 1,064 Hondurans were returned by ground transportation, and another 1,239 by aircraft, the department in Mexico that manages immigration reported Monday. The Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington, D.C.,-based immigration think tank, translated and flagged the recent numbers.
The deportations pertained to the most recent U.S.-bound migrant caravan, dubbed the ‘2020 caravan’.
The large removal numbers illustrate Mexico’s newly aggressive approach to U.S.-bound illegal aliens who are attempting to pass through its territory, and illegally enter the U.S.
A caravan was formed near San Pedro Sula, Honduras, earlier in January and began its journey to the U.S. southern border. Due to travel agreements between Central American governments, most of the members of the caravan were able to pass through Guatemala and continue north.
However, it reached a wall, and were met by hundreds of Mexico’s national guardsmen in a line with riot gear and tear gas, preventing the migrants from crossing into Mexico clandestinely. This led to violent clashes between the two sides, with migrants at one point throwing rocks at them in an effort to pass.
The migrants who have made it into Mexican territory are given the choice of applying for asylum there, where the government has promised them employment, or they can be transported back to their home country. For the migrants who are determined to still reach the U.S., most have remained stationed at the Suchiate River, which marks the border between Mexico and Guatemala, The Daily Caller writes.
Mexico has made it clear that its territory won’t be used as transit for illegal aliens to reach the U.S. Trump has made border security a top priority. U.S. border officials were overwhelmed in 2018 when thousands of migrants formed caravans to enter the U.S illegally. In an effort to enlist help to stop illegal immigration from other countries, particularly Mexico, the Trump administration threatened to impose tariffs on Mexican imports.