On Sunday, an increasing number of over 1,500 immigrants from Honduras moved toward the border with Guatemala, intending to head for the US, according to organizers and witnesses. The immigrant group, including women carrying babies, and whole families, began marching on Saturday from San Pedro Sula, days after US Vice President Mike Pence asked Central America to stop illegal. immigration.
The US Embassy in Honduras claims to be deeply concerned about the group and that the immigrants in it were being fed false promises about gaining entry to the US, particularly given that the situation in Honduras is improving all the time. The government of Honduras echoed some of this language, saying its citizens were being lied to, and that it regretted the current situation.
On Saturday, the government of Mexico issued a statement reminding foreign nationals that visas must be requested at consulates rather than at the border and that immigration rules would always be observed. Bartolo Fuentes, the organizer of the march, said no one had promised or offered the participants anything, and that they were fleeing violence and poverty in their home country.
The group had around 1,300 immigrants when it started and has now increased to as many as 1,800 immigrants, partly because of social media. 64% of households in Honduras are in poverty, and the country also suffers from gang violence.