Migrant Caravan Presses Forward, Trump Orders Asylum Ban

The first group of Central American migrants is leaving Mexico City Friday, hours before United States President Donald Trump signed a legally-questionable immigration proclamation to ban migrants who cross the U.S. border illegally from qualifying for asylum. 

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According to Mexico City's Human Rights Commission, almost 5,000 Central American immigrants were taking shelter in the Jesus Martinez stadium. Of these, 1,726 are minors and 310 are children under 5 years old. In a press conference Thursday the Commission also said there are 24 pregnant women and 31 minors traveling alone. 

On Thursday, a group of migrants marched to United Nations offices to request aid in their journey. U.N. authorities met with the migrants' representatives who asked for 170 buses to transport them to the U.S. border.

"They need transport to continue traveling," said one of the groups' coordinators, Milton Benitez, who explained that the people fleeing poverty and violence at home will face harsher weather conditions in northern Mexico and more precarious security conditions, as they will cross zones controlled by drug-trafficking cartels. 

Despite the real threats the migrants will face the U.N. refused to provide the buses, a decision that has not prevented them from marching north, towards the U.S. border.  

 "We go towards the border, marching always as we have from Honduras. Without waiting for buses. We don't want to keep waiting, we want no more lies, we want to walk more, we want to go forward. We are happy, thank god and with faith in god that we will arrive well because god is who protects us every day," Oscar Zelani told Mexican reporter and tweeter user @dalies.