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Photos: Central American migrants trek north to seek a better life

The fearful look on the face of a Central American man cradling a baby in his arms as he scrambled away from a wall of Mexican police in riot gear quickly became one of the defining images taken by Reuters photographers of the migrant caravan that started entering Mexico on Oct. 19. Hundreds of migrants, mostly from Honduras, rushed through Guatemalan border gates onto a long bridge connecting to Mexico. But the surge was halted by massed ranks of Mexican federal police with Perspex shields and helmets. A look at some of the defining pictures of the crisis and the story behind it.

Updated on: Nov 12, 2018 11:58 AM IST

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A Honduran migrant protects his child after fellow migrants stormed a border checkpoint in Guatemala, Mexico. Marcelino explained that it was a march that turned into a protest and started to get increasingly chaotic. Being father of nine-year-old girl the situation affected him and after taking the photo, he took others of families coming out of the restrictive cordon created by police. The confusion was brought under control after gas was used to disperse the migrants. (Ueslei Marcelino / REUTERS)

Updated on Nov 12, 2018 11:58 AM

A Honduran migrant protects his child after fellow migrants stormed a border checkpoint in Guatemala, Mexico. Marcelino explained that it was a march that turned into a protest and started to get increasingly chaotic. Being father of nine-year-old girl the situation affected him and after taking the photo, he took others of families coming out of the restrictive cordon created by police. The confusion was brought under control after gas was used to disperse the migrants. (Ueslei Marcelino / REUTERS)

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A small Honduran child cries as the oppressive heat, uproar from the surrounding crowd and hours of waiting with his mother to enter Mexico legally became too much to bear. The image conveys the plight faced by families travelling with children. The wait is long and tedious, but hours after this picture was taken, the wailing child and mother were both let into Mexico. This scene, and others like it, hit home. (Edgard Garrido / REUTERS)

Updated on Nov 12, 2018 11:58 AM

A small Honduran child cries as the oppressive heat, uproar from the surrounding crowd and hours of waiting with his mother to enter Mexico legally became too much to bear. The image conveys the plight faced by families travelling with children. The wait is long and tedious, but hours after this picture was taken, the wailing child and mother were both let into Mexico. This scene, and others like it, hit home. (Edgard Garrido / REUTERS)

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According to Rawlins, this picture of men trying to pull down the Mexican border gate seems to symbolize the tension between the urge to find a better life and governments’ attempts to control borders. The struggle to open the gates carried by the migrants in the night was unsuccessful but the following day the group formed a human chain and crossed into Mexico. “People here are walking in hope of finding the American dream”, said Rawlins. (Carlos Garcia Rawlins / REUTERS)

Updated on Nov 12, 2018 11:58 AM

According to Rawlins, this picture of men trying to pull down the Mexican border gate seems to symbolize the tension between the urge to find a better life and governments’ attempts to control borders. The struggle to open the gates carried by the migrants in the night was unsuccessful but the following day the group formed a human chain and crossed into Mexico. “People here are walking in hope of finding the American dream”, said Rawlins. (Carlos Garcia Rawlins / REUTERS)

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Hannah said, it was late in the evening and the migrants were bedding down for their second night in the town of San Pedro Tapanatepec when she came across this man sitting on the roadside beside a police car, watching as the officers helped settle the other migrants. Come darkness, these people sleep wherever they can to rest as much as possible before the cycle of walking begins again. (Hannah McKay / REUTERS)

Updated on Nov 12, 2018 11:58 AM

Hannah said, it was late in the evening and the migrants were bedding down for their second night in the town of San Pedro Tapanatepec when she came across this man sitting on the roadside beside a police car, watching as the officers helped settle the other migrants. Come darkness, these people sleep wherever they can to rest as much as possible before the cycle of walking begins again. (Hannah McKay / REUTERS)

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Luis Acosta holds 5-year-old Angel Jesus as they cross through the Suchiate River into Mexico. Latif said, this photograph begs the question, why would a family leave home and not only risk their own lives but also the lives of their children by doing such extraordinary things? He added, that it reminds him of the poem ‘Home’ by Warsan Shire that starts, ‘No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark.’ (Adrees Latif / REUTERS)

Updated on Nov 12, 2018 11:58 AM

Luis Acosta holds 5-year-old Angel Jesus as they cross through the Suchiate River into Mexico. Latif said, this photograph begs the question, why would a family leave home and not only risk their own lives but also the lives of their children by doing such extraordinary things? He added, that it reminds him of the poem ‘Home’ by Warsan Shire that starts, ‘No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark.’ (Adrees Latif / REUTERS)

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A family part of a group of some 150 migrants, who decided to wade across the Lempa river after seeing that authorities had formed a human wall. Cabrera said, for him this image underscores the fact that you can get as far as your feet will take you and the idea of fighting for the chance at a better life, cannot be stamped out no matter what walls are thrown up. (Jorge Cabrera / REUTERS)

Updated on Nov 12, 2018 11:58 AM

A family part of a group of some 150 migrants, who decided to wade across the Lempa river after seeing that authorities had formed a human wall. Cabrera said, for him this image underscores the fact that you can get as far as your feet will take you and the idea of fighting for the chance at a better life, cannot be stamped out no matter what walls are thrown up. (Jorge Cabrera / REUTERS)

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People belonging to a caravan of migrants from El Salvador, board a pick-up truck which was only taking mothers with children for a hitchhike. Cabezas has seen a lot of children in the caravan, and he couldn’t help but see the face of his own six-year-old son in them. He said that he could feel the parents’ fear, the frustration of not being able to give them a decent life. (Jose Cabezas / REUTERS)

Updated on Nov 12, 2018 11:58 AM

People belonging to a caravan of migrants from El Salvador, board a pick-up truck which was only taking mothers with children for a hitchhike. Cabezas has seen a lot of children in the caravan, and he couldn’t help but see the face of his own six-year-old son in them. He said that he could feel the parents’ fear, the frustration of not being able to give them a decent life. (Jose Cabezas / REUTERS)

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A young man holds the child looking exhausted and others clutching all their worldly possessions. According to Mills, this image shows that how desperate these people are that they are willing to cross rivers with strong currents, to lose any belongings they had, to struggle through the water with their children. He added, that we are lucky, that we have access to proper shoes, equipment, water and food, whereas the migrants don’t. (Leah Millis / REUTERS)

Updated on Nov 12, 2018 11:58 AM

A young man holds the child looking exhausted and others clutching all their worldly possessions. According to Mills, this image shows that how desperate these people are that they are willing to cross rivers with strong currents, to lose any belongings they had, to struggle through the water with their children. He added, that we are lucky, that we have access to proper shoes, equipment, water and food, whereas the migrants don’t. (Leah Millis / REUTERS)

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