Luis Manuel Lopez told AFP the women and children would be processed by immigration authorities and taken to a shelter in the city of Tapachula, 40 kilometers (25 miles) away.
The migrants, who are mostly from Honduras, are ultimately trying to reach the United States, despite President Trump’s threat that the military would be called to the US-Mexican border if the massive caravan “onslaught” is not stopped.
US-bound migrants stranded at Guatemala-Mexico border
Posted by RT on Saturday, October 20, 2018
Organizers say that some 4,000 migrants form part of the caravan that arrived at Mexico’s border on Friday. Photos showed the bridge between the two countries packed full of people, with many resorting to jumping in the river below after being blocked by Mexican riot police, RT reports.
Once they had reached the river, many paid raftsmen 25 pesos (US$1.30) to ferry them across on vessels made of giant rubber tires, trying their chances at reaching Mexican soil without having their documents checked.
The reported green light for women and children comes after many migrants were sent back on Saturday, with Guatemalan police transporting at least 62 people in two buses.
As the photos and videos show, the hordes of people are very difficult to control and can easily overtake the police forces trying to stop them. If they reach the Mexico US border in mass numbers they will overwhelm the already taxed border patrol agents.
Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez is due to meet his Guatemalan counterpart Jimmy Morales in Guatemala City on Saturday for talks on a strategy to return the Honduran migrants.
On Friday, Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray vowed to meet the “challenge” of the caravan, after holding talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Mexico City. One day earlier, Trump thanked Mexico for sending police and riot gear to the Mexico-Guatemala border.