April 15, 2019 - 5:01 PM
MEXICO CITY - Mexico's National Human Rights Commission called on Monday for protective measures and government action for more than 8,800 migrants moving in various groups through the south of the country.
In a statement, the commission tallied five groups of migrants from various countries spread across several towns in the southern state of Chiapas. Some have been stuck in the area for several weeks while the most recent arrivals just crossed from Guatemala.
The commission said many of the migrants are not being given information about their applications for humanitarian visas or transit permits and lack adequate medical care.
Some 3,200 migrants are in the town of Mapastepec and have been told by authorities they may have to wait up to six months to get their paperwork to continue. That announcement Saturday touched off a protest and federal police had to be summoned to quell the disturbance. The National Migration Institute said it had decided to pull its agents out of the site for their safety.
The rights commission said there are also some 2,000 migrants housed at an immigration centre in Tapachula that has a capacity for 960.
It said an additional 2,000 migrants left Tapachula early Monday walking toward the town of Huixtla. And about 1,600 migrants are in the border town of Ciudad Hidalgo after crossing from Guatemala.
News from © The Associated Press, 2019