Thousands of Haitians gather at encampment in southern Mexico, demanding help

Migrants wait as they hope to receive help from the Mexican government to obtain humanitarian visas to transit Mexican territory, in Tapachula, Mexico December 1, 2021. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez

TAPACHULA, Mexico (Reuters) - Several thousand Haitian migrants have camped outside a stadium in the southern Mexican city of Tapachula, pleading to be transferred to other states and given authorization to travel freely through Mexico and seek employment.

Mexican officials last week began moving hundreds of migrants to other states after they had endured lengthy waits for asylum and visas requests in Tapachula, aiming to head off migrant caravans heading north to the U.S. border.