Tegucigalpa.
Honduras’ Human Rights Commissioner Blanca Izaguirre on Monday asked the corresponding authorities to respect the rights of the migrant caravan and urged countries to establish regional coordination mechanisms to identify those in need of protection.
In a statement, Izaguirre called for “calm” and again urged countries along the migration route to “respect the dignity and fulfill the human rights of people seeking the American dream.”
“States must make sure migration be regular, orderly and safe to avoid the existence of crimes that threaten fellow countrymen in the context of migration, ”he stressed.
Guatemalan security forces today forcibly disbanded the migrant caravan of more than 6,000 Hondurans attempting to cross the Central American country to advance to Mexico and then reach the United States.
According to Efe, some 500 officers from the National Civil Police and soldiers of the Guatemalan army have evacuated the road where the migrants had been stranded in the department of Chiquimula, close to the border with Honduras and about 200 kilometers east of the country’s capital.
Hondurans are part of a caravan of more than 9,000 people, according to official calculations, who have left San Pedro Sula, city in the north of Honduras, between last Wednesday and Friday.
Protection mechanism
The human rights defender in Honduras also asked countries to guarantee the human right to migration.
“States must have a differentiated approach to caring for the people in the caravan, as it guides people with protection needs who cannot return to the country,” he stressed.
Izaguirre urged states to create “binational and regional coordination mechanisms” to identify the cases of migrants in need of protective measures prior to their return, and to activate national protection mechanisms for those displaced by force.
Countries should also “ensure the principles of special protection and the best interests of the child during family reunification procedures for unaccompanied children returned to the country,” he added.
Respect laws and travel peacefully
The Ombudsman also asked the Honduran and Guatemalan authorities to “ensure safe return” to those who decide not to continue the journey, and asked the migrants to “respect the laws of the countries” and travel “peacefully”.
Izaguirre reaffirmed the Honduran body’s commitment to the caravan and assured that the state institution will continue to “work towards sub-regional, regional and universal support” for states’ obligation to “protect and respect the human rights of migrants”.
“It is essential to advocate for government policy building to counter the structural causes triggering forced migration and to address the origins of extraordinary migration flows from Honduras and forced displacement within,” said the Commissioner. Human Rights.