Ciudad Tecun Uman (Guatemala) - (AFP) - To avoid attracting the attention of the police in Guatemala, illegal immigrants trying to reach the United States move in small groups, some traveling with friends, others like Venezuelan Gilberto (27) who brought his dog. with him.
"The economic situation is very difficult there (in Venezuela), so we are leaving. The salary does not allow us to buy anything, you have to buy everything with dollars, but you receive the bolivar, which is worth nothing," says Gilberto Rodriguez, who hails from the city of Ticón Uman in Guatemala, bordering Mexico.

For less than $1, the Suchiati River, which forms the border between Guatemala and Mexico, can be crossed on a flimsy boat in ten minutes. Gilberto left with his dog, Negro, who has accompanied him since he left Caracas, Venezuela, two months ago.

The Venezuelan and his dog survived the dangerous jungles of Darien between Colombia and Panama, then passed through Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras and finally Guatemala. And he dreams of continuing this journey of thousands of kilometers to reach the United States.

However, the US judiciary prevented the suspension of Procedure No. 42, which was originally developed during the era of Donald Trump to prevent the spread of infectious diseases from certain countries from which immigrants come to the United States.

But unlike the situation a few months ago, when immigrants crowded the border towns with Mexico, the presence of immigrants has become rare. On Guatemala's roads, buses are systematically monitored and searched by the police to check passengers' identification documents.

Migrants are now moving "in smaller groups" trying to quickly enter Mexico, says Alejandra Godinez of the migrant reception office in Tecon Uman. "They break into several groups and then meet on the Mexican side."

Ruben Mendez, the mayor of Ayutla, which includes Ticón Uman, considers that the police in Guatemala are trying to prevent migrants from forming new "caravans", that is, groups of hundreds or thousands of migrants who, since 2018, have been crossing the country from Honduras.

Between January and May, Guatemala expelled 303 Central Americans, as well as 69 Venezuelans, 165 Cubans and 86 people of other nationalities.

The last "caravan" of approximately 500 migrants was quickly dismantled in January when it entered Guatemala. A year ago, nearly 7,000 people were driven away with batons and tear gas.

Gilberto says that in Guatemala he was trying to evade police patrols who were taking advantage of the situation to "take money from us".

Gilberto sometimes slept on the street with his dog, as migrant shelters do not always accept animals.
The day before crossing the Sociati River, Gilberto, along with his dog and nine other migrants, rested at the Migrant House, a humanitarian association.

Moises Ayerde, 25, of Nicaraguan descent, says he fled poverty and political repression in his country, where he left behind his wife and three-year-old daughter.

He added, "Our feet hurt, and we arrived here sick (...) We are used to it. We will continue. Just as we crossed Honduras and Guatemala, we will cross Mexico."