By Jose Luiz Gonzalez

TAPACHULA (Mexico) – Hundreds, mostly Central American, Haitian, migrants, formed a caravan in southern Mexico’s Chiapas state, just near Guatemala border. They then began to walk north towards the United States.

They claimed they want to flee Chiapas because they have not received the humanitarian visas that Mexico promised them or been transferred to areas of Mexico where there are better living conditions.

According to caravan organizers, around 1,000 migrants carrying children began to walk from Tapachula (a city bordering Guatemala) to Mapastepec (62.1 miles), and plan to join another group.

The Mexican National Migration Institute (INM), which had been waiting for months in Tapachula to receive a reply to their requests for asylum or humanitarian visas, began moving hundreds of migrants from Mexico to other parts of Mexico a day earlier.

Also, documents were offered to the migrants for temporary legal stays in Mexico. This would enable them to seek employment and disarm threats to begin walking toward America’s border.

Tapachula migrants did not transfer to another country or received humanitarian visas. Instead, they joined others heading towards the United States.

A Haitian migrant stated, along with his family, that “we need to work in order to provide for our family.” He declined to be identified.

Luis Garcia (one of the organizers) said around 1,500 people were expected to leave Mapastepec, north on Tuesday. In the past, the fear of being deported has led migrants to refuse government aid.

The National Human Rights Commission (CNDH), which announced earlier Friday that it had discovered last year, at most three Haitian asylum seeker in Mexico were being deported to their home country.

The Mexican National Migration Institute didn’t immediately reply to Reuters’ request for comment on the cases.