In 2023 so far, some 308,182 irregular migrants have entered Honduras, a historic figure that almost triples compared to the same period in 2022, according to data from the National Migration Institute (INM) accessed by the country. EFE this Saturday.

The number of migrants who entered the country between January 1 and September 20 is 195.5% higher than the 104,284 foreigners registered in the same period of 2022, the year in which approximately 188,858 of these travelers passed through Honduras, according to the INM Numbers.

In the first 20 days of September, some 58,210 people had entered the Central American country, including 43,212 adults and 14,998 minors, according to an INM report.

In 2023, the majority of those who entered Honduras illegally are still Venezuelans (139,506), followed by Cubans (40,950), Haitians (35,658), Ecuadorians (34,095), Haitians (31,867), Colombians (6,900), Chinese (6,608) and Senegalese (6,071). accurately.

The remaining 6,527 migrants who entered the country come from more than thirty countries in the world, including Asian and African countries.

Of the total, 251,586 people, representing 81.6% of all migrants who entered Honduras, are adults and 56,596 (18.4%) are minors, according to official figures.

In Honduras, a mandatory passage for Latin American, African and Asian migrants, migrants are widely mistreated, mainly by being charged illegal fees for intercity transport or by police officers, the National Commissioner for Human Rights (Conadeh) said.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) called for solidarity on Thursday in light of the increase in migrant flows in transit through Honduras.

The majority of migrants enter Honduras through the departments of El Paraíso and Choluteca, in the east and south of the country, bordering Nicaragua, where the IOM carries out “continuous monitoring” to provide an “effective response” to people in vulnerable situations. .

The IOM Head of Mission for El Salvador and Honduras, Nicola Graviano, stressed the importance of “strengthening coordinated action” in the east of the country to “guarantee the human rights of all migrants.”

“Currently there is a humanitarian response plan in Honduras that only guarantees 15% funding. This implies that not all existing needs can be met and there is a risk that this serious situation will become a humanitarian crisis of enormous proportions,” Graviano said.

Faced with this situation, “there is no room for indifference”, emphasized the head of mission of the IOM, an organization that indicated that it will continue to work “hard” to provide an “adequate humanitarian response” for the protection of thousands of people. in transit through Honduras. (JO)