Hundreds of migrants set up a demonstration in southern Mexico in order to legalize the status

A group of around 1,200 migrants started before dawn in southern Mexico on Wednesday targeting the capital where they hoped to legalize their immigration status and find more work opportunities after a long frustrating expectation near the Guatemala border.

The Cubans have formed the majority of migrants, but there were also people from Honduras, Ecuador, Brazil and Haiti.

Unlike the “caravans” previous migrants in order to reach the United States, the group on Wednesday and others during the past year try to force the Mexican authorities to accelerate the asylum process and to leave South Mexico where there are few work opportunities.

Cuban migrant Losiel Sánchez and his wife arrived in Tapachula, near the border with Guatemala in November. They had hoped to obtain an appointment via an American government application called CBP One which would allow them to cross the American border, to ask for asylum and to be likely to be released in the United States while this process took place.

However, American president Donald Trump ended this program, failing tens of thousands of migrants who had already made their way to the American border. Sánchez decided to stay in Mexico and seek asylum, but despite many visits to the Mexico asylum agency, known as Comar, the couple still has no response on their status.

He said he was scammed by someone who claimed to be a lawyer who had promised to help them accelerate the process.

“Everything is expensive and I cannot pay rent,” said Sánchez, who hopes to be more likely in Mexico City. “There is no job, they don’t want to give you work if you don’t have papers.”

Anery Sosa, another Cuban migrant, has been in Tapachula for a year. His asylum attempt derailed when someone stole his documents. She had a girl with a Mexican and hopes to find someone to take care of her during the day so that she can work. Her husband’s income alone does not cover rent and food, she said.

The group of migrants seemed to have been organized without a leader on social platforms where frustrated migrants rallied to try to get out of southern Mexico. In the past, the Mexican authorities have enabled migrants to walk for a few days, and then offer to help with their documents and sometimes transport.