The brakes were applied, but it's usual and annual.
Quote:Immigrant caravan from Central America, target of Trump's ire, pauses its northward trek in Mexico.L.A.Times:
'A caravan of Central American immigrants that has been the target of President Trump's ire has
halted its northward march through Mexico in order to negotiate with immigration authorities over
key questions: Can some stay in Mexico, and can others continue their trek to the United States?
At a sports stadium in a small city in Oaxaca state, hundreds of immigrants, mostly from Honduras,
were in the process of applying for transit or humanitarian visas on Tuesday.
Those granted transit visas will be allowed to stay in Mexico for up to 30 days, giving them time to
reach the U.S. border or head back home. Those issued humanitarian visas will be allowed to stay
and work legally in Mexico.
Mexican officials approached caravan organizers in the town of Matias Romero on Monday after
President Trump wrote a series of tweets warning about "caravans" of migrants heading to the U.S.
"Caravans are heading here," the president wrote. "Must pass tough laws and build the WALL."
In other tweets, Trump accused Mexican authorities of not doing more to stop immigrants traveling
to the U.S. border and threatened to pull out of the North American Free Trade Agreement if Mexico
did not act.
On Tuesday, Trump continued to rail against immigration, saying he intends to deploy U.S. troops
along the southern border until his long-promised wall can be built.
"Until we can have a wall and proper security, we are going to be guarding our border with our military,"
Trump said.
Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump
Mexico is doing very little, if not NOTHING, at stopping people from flowing
into Mexico through their Southern Border, and then into the U.S.
They laugh at our dumb immigration laws. They must stop the big drug and
people flows, or I will stop their cash cow, NAFTA. NEED WALL!
Mexican authorities bristled at Trump's threats about NAFTA, pointing out that Mexico already deports
tens of thousands of Central Americans annually. A statement issued by the Interior Ministry suggested
it is not Mexico's duty to stop people from going to the U.S. to apply for asylum.
"It is not this government's responsibility to make immigration decisions for the United States or any other
country, so it will be up to the appropriate authorities of the United States to decide whether to authorize
the entry of the caravan participants to U.S. territory," the statement said.
It said 400 members of the caravan have been deported, but it said others in the group may be eligible
for refugee status or other relief. Mexico, it said, considers the caravan "a public demonstration that
seeks to call attention to the migration phenomenon and the importance of respecting the rights of
Central Americans."
Mexico's interior secretary, Alfonso Navarrete Prida, suggested Mexico had not been swayed by
Trump's tweets. "We will act with complete sovereignty in enforcing our laws … with no pressure
whatsoever from any country whatsoever," he said.
The caravan, consisting of more than 1,000 immigrants, crossed into Mexico from Guatemala last week.
According to media reports, immigration authorities at the border let them pass.
Organized by a group called Pueblos Sin Fronteras, or People without Borders, the "Stations of the Cross"
caravan was designed to bring awareness to the dire poverty and violence that prompt many to flee Central
America, and the dangerous plight of immigrants attempting to reach the U.S. border.
In 2010, 72 kidnapped immigrants were massacred in northern Mexico.
Rapes, assaults and robberies of immigrants are common.
Similar caravans have been organized during the Easter season for about a decade and have been generally
confined to southern Mexico...'
Edith Head Gives Good Wardrobe.