- The organization highlighted that they have had to “redouble efforts” in the southern Mexican states of Oaxaca, Chiapas and Veracruz | Photo: EFE
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned on Wednesday, November 13, of its concern about the “drastic” increase in caravans of migrants arriving in Mexico through the country’s southern border.
According to the organization, they have had to “redouble efforts” in the southern Mexican states of Oaxaca, Chiapas and Veracruz, where groups of hundreds of migrants cross the territory on their way to the US border.
The violence to which young people, boys, girls, women and men of all ages are exposed as they pass through Mexico, including kidnappings, extortion or sexual violence, forces them to travel in caravans as a protection mechanism,” denounced Ricardo Santiago, coordinator of MSF projects in southern Mexico.
Santiago asserted that “the caravans are becoming more and more multitudinous,” because if in the month of September they were counted in the hundreds, now the count is in the thousands.
Eight caravans in less than a month
MSF teams carried out 855 medical consultations after assisting in the arrival of eight caravans made up of around 5,000 people between September 24 and November 8, six of them in the last three weeks, and which had originally left the city of Tapachula. , on the border with Guatemala.
Furthermore, in the coming days the authorities expect the formation of new massive caravans and their transit through different parts of southern Mexico, says the NGO.
Apart from violence, other factors that lead migrants to group together in caravans are the saturation of services to process refugee applications in Mexico, the high demand for asylum applications through the US CBP-One system and the delay in the answers,” explained Santiago.
MSF interventions occurred in the towns of Santiago Niltepec, La Venta, Sayula de Alemán and Huixtla, and among the people served were patients with acute respiratory diseases, musculoskeletal diseases, skin and gastrointestinal conditions due to the consumption of non-potable water, long walks and high temperatures.
In addition, the organization collects testimonies of the psychological impact suffered by the people who make up these human caravans as a result of their traumatic experience.
“We witness every day the suffering and invisibility of the migrant population and the impact on their physical and mental health. At MSF we insist on the need to address the consequences of violence, provide safe routes of migration and reinforce the basic services available to people on the move,” stressed the coordinator for projects in Tapachula, Daniel Bruce.
With information from EFE
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What factors are contributing to the recent surge in migrant caravans in Mexico?
The situation concerning migrant caravans in Mexico has escalated significantly, with reports indicating that the number of caravans has surged in recent weeks. As noted by Santiago, the caravans have grown from hundreds in September to thousands, highlighting the increasing number of individuals grouping together for safety and support during their journey.
Between September 24 and November 8, Médicos Sin Fronteras (MSF) reported providing medical consultations to around 5,000 people arriving in eight different caravans, six of which occurred in the last three weeks alone, all departing from Tapachula on Mexico’s border with Guatemala.
Authorities anticipate the emergence of more large-scale caravans in the upcoming days, exacerbated by various factors driving migration, including violence in their home countries, and the overwhelming demand for refugee and asylum processing services in Mexico and the U.S.
The MSF teams have actively intervened in areas such as Santiago Niltepec, La Venta, Sayula de Alemán, and Huixtla, treating a range of health issues, from acute respiratory and gastrointestinal conditions to ailments caused by prolonged exposure to heat and unsafe drinking water. As the situation develops, the humanitarian response must adapt to the growing needs of these migrant populations.
