AMERICA/HONDURAS - New caravans of Honduran emigrants heading for the United States, a consequence of the passage of hurricanes

Tuesday, 15 December 2020 emigration   natural catastrophe   local churches   coronavirus  

Twitter

Tegucigalpa (Agenzia Fides) - The head of the Direction of Childhood, Adolescence and Family (DINAF) in Honduras informed that in 2020 4,638 children who had left with the aim of reaching the United States returned to their country.
If compared to 2019, when there were 25,990, there is a drastic reduction, it is still a high number of children who for the most part travel and present themselves at the borders.
On 10 December, hundreds of Honduran emigrants formed a new caravan headed towards the United States from northern Honduras, due to the lack of jobs after the devastating damage caused by the tropical storms Eta and Iota. However, greater rigor is now being exercised at the borders in order to control and block people because of the pandemic situation that all Central American countries are experiencing. At least 67 people from Honduras have therefore been detained and will be repatriated to their country on Friday 11 December by the Guatemalan authorities, after irregularly crossing the border in an attempt to reach the United States.
The Guatemalan Institute of Migration (IGM) reported that within this group there are 21 children of both sexes and that the people in question are near the Agua Caliente border, 250 kilometers southeast of Guatemala City. "The IGM carried out the deportation procedure following the relevant protocols", reads the latest IGM report.
According to Fides sources, the Honduras emigrants who left for the United States were motivated by the latest provisions of the US government concerning the extension of the TPS to residents of various Central American countries (see Fides, 10/12/2020). Another group motivated its departure with the material losses caused by the latest hurricanes.
The Episcopal Conference had given great impetus to solidarity on the part of the communities to help and welcome those who had lost everything because of the hurricanes, giving indications to the parish priests regarding the opening of churches to let the homeless and the many families who had to abandon everything due to floods and other consequences of hurricanes to spend the night there. (CE) (Agenzia Fides, 15/12/2020)


Share: