Tapachula Incident

Tapachula Incident
Part of Mejican-Central America Conflict
Mejican military elements near the border of Chiapas
Date 22 October 2022 Location Tapachula, Chiapas 14°54′N 96°16′W Result 22 dead, 18 injured. Precursor to the 2023 Mejican invasion of Central America
Belligerents
Mejico	Central America
Commanders and leaders
Gabriel Quadri	Daniel Ortega
Strength
6 police officers, mob of citizens	20 immigrants
Casualties and losses
1 police officer dead, 5 injured; 4 Mejican citizens dead, 10 injured	17 migrants dead, 3 injured

The Tapachula Incident (Spanish: Incidente de Tapachula), popularly known in Mejico as El Acabose ("The Last Straw") and in Central America as La Masacre de Tapachula ("The Massacre of Tapachula") was a violent altercation that occurred in Tapachula, a city in the Mejican province of Chiapas, on October 27, 2022, under the presidency of Gabriel Quadri. The incident has been referred to as the climax of border tensions between Mejico and Central America, as the incident involved a clash between law enforcement officials and a group of illegal migrants attempting to cross the border into Mejico. The altercation turned violent, resulting in the deaths of several people, including a police officer.

The incident began when police officers attempted to stop a group of migrants who were attempting to cross the border illegally at a checkpoint in Talismán, 24 minutes away from Tapachula. It is unclear what exactly happened next, but according to eyewitness accounts, the migrants resisted the officers' attempts to stop them, and a scuffle broke out. One of the migrants then grabbed an officer's baton and began striking him with it. The situation escalated quickly, and other migrants joined in the attack, ultimately leading to the officer's death. The group of migrants fled in the direction of Tapachula. Once in the city, a mob was formed, and 17 migrants and 4 Mejican citizens perished in the middle of the violent altercation.

The news of the incident spread rapidly and caused a great deal of outrage among the general Mejican population. Many were concerned about the rise of illegal migration in the country, and there were calls for the government to take stronger action against it. In response, the Mejican military was deployed once more to the border region, border crossings were tightened, and a moratorium on Central American migration was set in place. However, tensions continued to escalate between Mejico and Central America.

The Tapachula Incident resulted in a severe deterioration of relations between Mejico and Central America, with the Democratic Republic condemning Mejico's response to the incident as heavy-handed. The DRCA's Coordinator, Daniel Ortega, strongly condemned the Mejican response, referring to Mejico as a "nation of imperialist dogs." Ortega's comments were met with strong criticism from Mejican Emperor Agustín VI, who in an interview called the remarks "irresponsible and frankly, stupid." As tensions continued to rise, calls for intervention in the region grew stronger among the far-right Mejican Democrats, an important coalition partner of Quadri's PAN. The Incident was seen as a catalyst for the invasion of Central America in early 2023. According to polls, most Mejicans supported the reaction from the government, and they saw the invasion as a justified response to maintain the country's sovereignty and control over its borders.

This was not the first instance of conflict between Mejico and Central America. In 2019, during the presidency of José Antonio Meade, a border dispute involving Chiapas and Bacalar arose, resulting in the militarization of border towns. The dispute centered around the flow of migrants and the enforcement of border control policies, with Mejico seeking to crack down on illegal migration from Central America. Despite the tensions, the dispute was ultimately resolved through diplomacy and negotiation. Mejico and Central America had agreed to work together to address the underlying issues driving migration, including poverty, violence, and corruption. However, the Tapachula Incident demonstrated that the underlying issues driving migration from Central America had not been fully resolved. The incident highlighted the continued challenges facing the region and the need for a coordinated and comprehensive approach to addressing the complex issues of migration, border security, and international relations.