Honduran Marco Tulio killed by police near Saltillo Migrant Shelter in Mexico

On July 31, Coahuila state police officers in Mexico killed Marco Tulio Perdomo Guzmán, a 29-year-old migrant from Honduras who was with his 8-year-old daughter.

The Daily Mail now reports, “According to Mexican outlet Animal Politico, Perdomo Guzmán took his oldest child and set off for the United States on June 28 and left behind his pregnant wife and two-year-old son in the Caribbean department of Colón.”

The shooting happened near the Saltillo Migrant Shelter, which is accompanied by the Peace Brigades International-Mexico Project.

Euronews reports, “Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Friday [August 2] instructed officials to investigate the killing of a Honduran migrant in the northern city of Saltillo to determine the role of officials in his death.”

That article adds, “Human rights groups and migrant advocates have demanded a full investigation into the shooting, saying that Mexican authorities have been heavy-handed and committed abuses in their efforts to reduce the flow of migrants.”

Mexico News Daily notes, “Six Coahuila state police officers are being investigated for the killing of a Honduran migrant in the city of Saltillo on Wednesday [July 31].”

“Coahuila Attorney General Gerardo Márquez Guevara told a press conference that the migrant was killed as the police were chasing down suspected drug dealers.”

“Márquez said the officers attempted to arrest the drug dealers at about 9:30 pm but the two suspects fled towards the Casa del Migrante, a nearby migrant shelter, and started shooting at the police, who returned fire.”

That article also notes, “Márquez added that state police have interviewed four witnesses who said that Marco and his daughter were planning to hop a train to reunite with their family in the United States.”

Amnesty International adds, “Public information based on witness statements point to the fact that Federal Police and National Institute of Migration officers could also have been involved in the incident, although federal authorities denied this.”

“According to a statement by staff at the [Saltillo Migrant Shelter], there were women, children and babies among the group [of 10 migrants].”

On August 1, the Associated Press had reported, “The Casa Del Migrante Saltillo shelter also said authorities separated a 2-year-old girl from her mother during the raid.”

Now, the Daily Mail reports, “Mexican authorities have ruled that police used excessive lethal force in the death of a Honduran migrant who was shot dead in front of his terrified young daughter as he tried to cross the US border last week.”

“A police officer identified only as Juan Carlos, who fired the fatal shot, was arrested Saturday. He was charged with intentional homicide.”

That article adds, “The Prosecutor’s Office was forced to backtrack from two preliminary reports it released the day after Perdomo Guzmán was killed. It wrongly accused the Honduran dad of verbally insulting the state police officers and also mentioned he shot at them before they responded with fire.”

Migrants from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador are travelling through Mexico en route to the United States to seek asylum from the poverty, violence, human rights violations and the impacts of climate breakdown (including food insecurity) in their home countries.

The negative impacts of Canadian capital (notably mining projects) and support for the Honduran government have also been cited as contributory factors in this migration.

The photo is from this tweet by the Saltillo Migrant Shelter which says, “The altar in the celebrations of the patron of the city of Saltillo it is painted with the flags of Central America to pay tribute to Marco Tulio and demand a stop to violence against migrants in Mexico.”