April 18, 2021, Tapachula, Chiapas.
There is currently almost no Mexican military presence on the border that divides Mexico and Guatemala. On the Central American side, only some official patrols of the National Civilian Police (PNC) circulate on the banks of the Suchiate River, while on the Mexican side, in Chiapas, there are only some members of the National Guard, the Mexican Army and the Institute of Migration that coordinates support tasks.
The border strip remains wide open, despite the White House announcement that Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras would deploy military surveillance to their borders immediately to prevent irregular migration.
The Suchiate River, which has increased in flow (due to the beginning of summer rains), continues to be a crossing point for Guatemalans and other foreigners, who manage to enter with a document (a Mexican transit visa) that provides for their legal entry into the country.
So, according to the Mexican government, the announced plan is a continuation of the existing military operation. Nevertheless. at the border between the two countries, the presence of the National Guard and Institute of Migration is increasingly scarce, mainly after dark, when there are few members of the guard along only a few meters of the Suchiate River (MV Note: The river forms forty-seven miles of the border).
Meanwhile, on the Guatemalan side, the situation is even worse. There are no military personnel other than those who carry out routine operations and the surveillance by soldiers is located about 15 miles inland, near Pajapita, San Marcos. In Tecún Umán (on the river), commercial and social activities continue as usual in the presence of only a few national police officers who roam the area in search of crimes but nothing that focuses on migration containment.
On Tuesday, April 13, Mexico's Foreign Minister, Marcelo Ebrard, reported that there were 12,000 personnel from the federal government on the southern border, including the Army, members of the National Guard and personnel from the National Institute of Migration and the Comprehensive Family Development System (social welfare officials).
The border strip remains wide open, despite the White House announcement that Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras would deploy military surveillance to their borders immediately to prevent irregular migration.
The Suchiate River, which has increased in flow (due to the beginning of summer rains), continues to be a crossing point for Guatemalans and other foreigners, who manage to enter with a document (a Mexican transit visa) that provides for their legal entry into the country.
The military mobilization could take a few days to get underway, even though the containment strategy would reinforce the operations that are already being applied in the border strip. The Secretariat of Foreign Relations reported today that the agreement was about the permanence of this joint operation for the rescue of migrants who try to cross into Mexico.
"Mexico will maintain the existing deployment of federal forces in its border area, with the aim of enforcing its own immigration legislation, in order to provide care for migrants, mainly unaccompanied minors, and combat human trafficking", the Secretariat noted in a statement.
So, according to the Mexican government, the announced plan is a continuation of the existing military operation. Nevertheless. at the border between the two countries, the presence of the National Guard and Institute of Migration is increasingly scarce, mainly after dark, when there are few members of the guard along only a few meters of the Suchiate River (MV Note: The river forms forty-seven miles of the border).
Meanwhile, on the Guatemalan side, the situation is even worse. There are no military personnel other than those who carry out routine operations and the surveillance by soldiers is located about 15 miles inland, near Pajapita, San Marcos. In Tecún Umán (on the river), commercial and social activities continue as usual in the presence of only a few national police officers who roam the area in search of crimes but nothing that focuses on migration containment.
On Tuesday, April 13, Mexico's Foreign Minister, Marcelo Ebrard, reported that there were 12,000 personnel from the federal government on the southern border, including the Army, members of the National Guard and personnel from the National Institute of Migration and the Comprehensive Family Development System (social welfare officials).
“The instruction we have is that there be an increase in the number of National Guard and National Migration Institute personnel, starting with the commissioner himself. The Comprehensive Family Development System is a decentralized system, it is no longer a single agency, but it is decentralized (to the various states). (It is the same with)...the health systems of the several states: Chiapas, Tabasco, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Guerrero and so on to the north.
(There will be) "more support personnel from these different agencies that have to do with this issue; that is why we say there will be 12 thousand people at least, that is, from one agency or another, with different functions," the Chancellor said.
This statement came a day after Jen Psaki, the spokeswoman for the White House, said that our country would send 10,000 military personnel to attend to the increased migratory flow on the border with Guatemala.
“There were a series of bilateral meetings between our administration and the governments of Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala. Through these discussions, commitments were made to increase border security,” Psaki said on April 12.