MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico’s government on Saturday moved to discourage the formation of caravans by Venezuelan migrants, saying any who do will not be eligible to enter the United States under a new humanitarian scheme announced this week.
Under a plan announced on Wednesday, Washington said it would grant up to 24,000 Venezuelans humanitarian access to the United States by air, while enabling U.S. officials to expel to Mexico those caught trying to cross illegally by land.
The plan is the latest bid to curb record numbers of illegal crossings at the Mexico-U.S. border fueled in part by a jump in Venezuelans entering Mexico to try to reach the United States.
On Friday morning a caravan of several hundred mostly Venezuelan migrants formed in southern Mexico, and though it later dispersed, hundreds more set off on Friday evening in smaller groups also bound for the U.S. border.
The Mexican government’s National Migration Institute said it would be in permanent communication with U.S. border authorities, and warned Venezuelans planning to take advantage of the scheme to enter the United States not to form caravans.
“It is therefore important to note that marching in a caravan or traveling irregularly in Mexican territory cancels the process,” the institute said in a statement.
To qualify for the U.S. program, Venezuelans will need to be able to secure a sponsor in the United States in advance. Mexico’s government had already instructed Venezuelans not to proceed to the U.S. border before making their applications.
(Reporting by Dave Graham; Additional reporting by Jose Torres in Tapachula; Editing by Sandra Maler)
