COUNTDOWN

Central Americans Surge Toward U.S. to Beat Trump’s Inauguration

Spike in migrants trying to beat Trump’s inauguration.

Large numbers of Central American migrants have fled their homes and are surging toward the U.S. in a bid to beat Donald Trump’s inauguration next year, Reuters reported Thursday. “We’re worried because we’re seeing a rise in the flow of migrants leaving the country, who have been urged to leave by coyotes telling them that they have to reach the United States before Trump takes office,” Honduras’ Deputy Foreign Minister Maria Andrea Matamoros was quoted as saying. Authorities in Guatemala and El Salvador have described similar situations, with many migrants being advised to expedite their plans in light of Trump’s tough talk on immigration. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection last week said it had been forced to open a temporary holding facility for up to 500 people in response to a spike in illegal border crossings from Mexico.