UNHCR is providing shelter, food and other assistance to Honduran refugees and migrants in Guatemala and southern Mexico.
Working in support of the Mexican authorities, UNHCR teams are providing staffing and technical help to ensure timely registration of asylum seekers. They are also setting up identification and referral processes for those with vulnerabilities and needs, and are increasing assistance and shelter capacity.
“Of concern to UNHCR at present is the developing humanitarian situation and the known kidnapping and security risks in areas the caravan may venture into,” UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards told news media in Geneva earlier this week.
“Stabilizing the situation has become has become urgent. It is essential that there are the proper reception and other conditions for those seeking asylum as well as for others on the move,” he added.
The ‘caravan’, which was estimated at up to 7,000 people or more in size is the second organized march in the region this year, the first having taken place in April in Mexico. In Guatemala, UNHCR is monitoring the border at Tecun Uman. Staff are assessing individual needs, and with partners, organizing humanitarian assistance to those most in need.
UNHCR is also identifying those who are particularly vulnerable, counseling them on their best options. This has led to a few unaccompanied and separated children choosing to claim asylum in Guatemala. The UN Refugee Agency is also monitoring returns and deportations from Guatemala, to ensure that they are voluntary and respect the fundamental principle of non-refoulement.
Most of those traveling in the caravan are in family groups, many with babies and toddlers. Their well-being is of particular concern to staff due to the extreme heat in the tropical lowlands of Chiapas, where temperatures are tipped to peak at 32°C this week, with high humidity.
In Honduras, meanwhile, UNHCR is monitoring the situation at the border with Guatemala through its partners and its San Pedro Sula office, as well as working with the authorities to ensure safe reception for those members of the caravan who are returning.
“UNHCR would like to remind countries along this route that this caravan is likely to include people in real danger,” Edwards stressed. “In any situation like this it is essential that people have the chance to request asylum and have their international protection needs properly assessed, before any decision on return or deportation is made.”
Original source: UNHCR
Published on 24 October 2018
