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The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com
Monday, November 5, 2018 3A
Leading migrant
caravan heads
for Mexico City
Central American migrants pack into the back of a trailer
truck as they begin their morning trek as part of a thousands-
strong caravan hoping to reach the U.S. border, in Isla,
Veracruz state, Mexico, Sunday, Nov. 4.
BY SONIA PEREZ D.
Associated Press
ISLA, Mexico — Thou
sands of bone-tired Central
Americans set their sights on
Mexico City on Sunday, after
undertaking a grueling jour
ney through a part of Mexico
that has been particularly
treacherous for migrants
seeking to get to the United
States.
The majority of the
roughly 4,000 migrants
streamed into the town of
Cordoba in the Gulf coast
state of Veracruz, a gateway
to the central part of the
country 124 miles from their
previous stop. The day’s trek
was one of the longest yet, as
the exhausted migrants tried
to make progress walking
and hitching rides toward the
U.S. border still hundreds of
miles away.
It is unclear what part of
the U.S. border they will aim
for eventually, but their latest
overnight stay in Veracruz
could be one of their last
before they head to Mexico
City, a potential launching
spot for a broader array of
destinations.
In the capital, they may
also receive additional sup
port, although Mexican
officials have appeared con
flicted over whether to help
or hinder their journey.
Manuel Calderon, 43, a
migrant from El Salvador,
knew many miles lay ahead
and said he wanted to “speed
up the pace.” He said he was
fleeing violence in his home
country and had dreams of
making it back to the U.S.,
from which he was deported
a little more than two years
ago.
On the road, he was
greeted by ordinary Mexi
cans lending a hand. Catalina
Munoz said she bought tor
tillas on credit to assemble
tacos of beans, cheese and
rice when she heard the
migrant caravan would pass
through Benemerito Juarez,
her tiny town of 3,000 inhabit
ants. She gathered 15 others
to help make the tacos, fill
water bottles and carry fruit
to weary travelers on the
roadside.
As migrants began filing
into a sports complex in Cor
doba, others had already
hopped freight trucks to
Puebla and even Mexico City.
A few arrived at a large out
door stadium in the capital
and lounged on bleachers a
day after divisions beset the
ranks of the caravan over
which route to take.
Some were disappointed
after organizers unsuccess
fully pleaded for buses after
three weeks on the road.
Others were angry for being
directed northward through
Veracruz, calling it the “route
of death.”
The trek past the state’s
sugar fields and fruit groves
has taken the majority
through a state where hun
dreds of migrants have dis
appeared in recent years,
falling prey to kidnappers
looking for ransom pay
ments. Authorities there
said in September they had
discovered remains from
at least 174 people buried in
clandestine graves, raising
questions about whether the
bodies belonged to migrants.
But even with the group
somewhat more scattered,
most of the migrants were
convinced that traveling as
a large mass was their best
hope for reaching the U.S.
The migrants generally say
they are fleeing rampant pov
erty, gang violence and politi
cal instability primarily in the
Central American countries
of Honduras, Guatemala, El
Salvador and Nicaragua.
“We think that it is better
to continue together with
the caravan. We are going
to stay with it and respect
MARCO UGARTE I Associated Press
the organizers,” said Luis
Euseda, a 32-year-old from
Tegucigalpa, Honduras, trav
eling with his wife, Jessica
Fugon. “Others went ahead,
maybe they have no goal, but
we do have a goal and it is to
arrive.”
Mynor Chavez, a 19-year-
old from Copan, Honduras,
was determined to continue.
“I have no prospects (in
Honduras). I graduated as
a computer technician and
not even with a degree have
I been able to find work,” he
said of his home country.
Mexico faces the unprec
edented situation of hav
ing three migrant caravans
stretched over 300 miles of
highway in the states of Chi
apas, Oaxaca and Veracruz.
On Friday, a caravan from
El Salvador waded over the
Suchiate River into Mexico,
bringing around 1,000 people
who want to reach the U.S.
border. That caravan ini
tially tried to cross the bridge
between Guatemala and
Mexico, but Mexican authori
ties told them they would
have to show passports and
visas and enter in groups of
50 for processing.
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EVAN VUCCII Associated Press
Supporters of President Donald Trump cheer as he arrives to speak at a campaign rally,
Sunday, Nov. 4, in Macon, Ga.
Trump says he’s focused
on Senate before midterms
BY ZEKE MILLER
AND JILL COLVIN
Associated Press
MACON, Ga. — Presi
dent Donald Trump
appeared to distance him
self from the fate of House
Republican candidates Sun
day as he devotes his final
two days before Tuesday’s
midterm elections to help
ing Senate and gubernato
rial candidates.
Speaking to reporters
as he left the White House
en route to get-out-the-vote
rallies in Georgia and Ten
nessee on Sunday, Trump
said Republican enthusi
asm is higher than he’s ever
seen — but he seemed to
dampen expectations for
his party in the House.
“I think we’re going to do
well in the House,” he said
of Tuesday’s races. “But,
as you know, my primary
focus has been on the Sen
ate, and I think we’re doing
really well in the Senate. ”
The comments mark
the starkest indication
that Trump has grown less
optimistic about the GOP’s
chances of retaining control
of the House, where Repub
licans face greater head
winds than in the Senate.
And they came as Trump’s
travels in the closing stretch
before midterms that could
profoundly change his
presidency are largely
taking him to traditionally
Republican states to cam
paign on behalf of statewide
candidates.
The president’s closing
argument to voters was on
stark display Sunday as he
seeks to motivate compla
cent Republican voters to
the polls by stoking fears
about the prospects of Dem
ocratic control.
“You want to see Georgia
prosperity end?” Trump
told the rally crowd in
Macon, Georgia. “Vote for
the Democrat.” Trump’s
remarks included ominous
references to the “Antifa”
far-left-leaning militant
groups and a migrant cara
van marching toward the
U.S.-Mexico border that he
has called an “invasion.”
Trump told reporters
before boarding Air Force
One that “tremendous
crowds” were already
awaiting him in both states.
He said that enthusiasm
was off the charts, though
polls have shown Demo
crats to have an enthusiasm
edge.
“The level of fervor,
the level of fever is very
strong in the Republican
side,” said Trump, adding:
“I have never seen such
excitement. Maybe back in
’16 during the presidential,
right around the vote. But
I have never seen such an
enthusiastic Republican
Party.”
Trump also pushed back
on the idea that the election
was a referendum on his
presidency and that Demo
crats reclaiming the House
would be a rebuke of him
and his policies.
“No, I don’t view this as
for myself,” Trump said,
before making the case that
his campaigning has “made
a big difference” in a hand
ful of Senate races across
the country.
“I think I’ve made a dif
ference of five or six or
seven. That’s a big differ
ence,” he said, crediting his
rallies for the influence.
In an interview with
The Associated Press last
month, Trump said he
would not accept blame for
a GOP defeat at the polls.
“These rallies are the
best thing we’ve done. I
think that the rallies have
really been the thing that’s
caused this whole big fervor
to start and to continue,” he
said.
Trump has had a busy
campaign schedule in the
final stretch of the race,
with 11 rallies over six days
— including two planned
Sunday and three Mon
day in Ohio, Indiana and
Missouri.
In the final stretch
Trump has brought out spe
cial guests to join him on
the campaign trail. Coun
try singer Lee Greenwood
will be performing Trump
favorite “God Bless the
U.S.A.” in Chattanooga as
well as in Cape Girardeau,
Missouri, on Monday.
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