A group of African migrants demonstrated in the Mexican-Guatemalan border town of Tapachula on Tuesday after the National Guard were deployed at the southern frontier as part of a new migration control plan following negotiations with the US.
Footage shows protesters sitting on the floor and talking to the police and National Guard officers near a shelter in the city’s Mesoamerican Fair. Officers can also be seen stopping vehicles on the border.
Protesters were reportedly complaining of Human Rights violations due to the conditions provided in shelters.
One local welcomed the arrival of security in the area.
“It is good because there must be security, and it’s good because someone comes with bad intentions,” said Alfredo Topacio.
It is expected that the National Guard operation will extend to other municipalities this week such as Tuxtla Gutierrez, Comitan, Frontera Comalapa and Barriaga, among others.
On June 7, US President Donald Trump and his Mexican counterpart Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador reached a deal that would reportedly see the US halt the implementation of tariffs in exchange for Mexico strengthening enforcement at its border with Guatemala.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that part of this effort would include the deployment of 6,000 Mexican National Guards along the country’s southern border.