Health concerns slow migrants moving through Mexico

Health concerns have slowed a group of migrants moving north through Mexico, pausing their trek for a day, an organizer told Reuters. 

“There are more than 150 boys and girls who can’t walk any more,” Luis Villagran, one of the leaders of the group, said, according to the wire service. “There are pregnant women with sores on their feet who can’t continue walking. We estimate there are 90 women in a critical state.”

The group is made up of migrants from the Caribbean and Central America who have traveled through intense heat from Tapachula, a city on the border of Guatemala.

The group will pause in the town of Mapastepec and begin their travels again on Monday, according to Reuters.

On Thursday, the Mexican government announced it would offer women and children migrants traveling north humanitarian visas. With these documents, migrants be able to gain employment, health care and other public services. 

Mexico’s National Migration Institute (INM) has urged the group to accept these visas in order to get help and offered travel and food, according to the outlet. 

“People’s health and their lives should not be put at risk, irrespective of their migration status,” the INM said.

However, the group has denied the visas, saying they are protesting due to the lack resources made available to them by the Mexican government in the past. 

The group is more than 1,000 kilometers away from Mexico City, Reuters noted.