Last updated on August 28th, 2024 at 12:24 pm
Roughly 3,000 migrants, including families with small children, trudged in the sweltering heat along a highway in southern Mexico on Tuesday. Traveling in two separate caravans, they are bound for the US border. The latest movement indicates a continued effort on the part of migrants to make their way into the United States, despite recent setbacks and a substantial illegal crossing crackdown.
Caravans to Assure Safety
It has been a means of protection to see these caravans of migrants-many with bags and water. Community-organized past caravans have come into being due to the increase in dangers such as robbery, rape, and kidnapping that face migrants traveling alone. Traveling this way has provided some sense of security for many compared to paying smugglers or human traffickers to have a “safer” journey.
Statements from Migrants
Leivi Galvna of Honduras added that nothing would hold them back, whoever the US government is: “We have to fight for our dream.” Yoisi of Venezuela cited security in traveling caravan as important: “I don’t want to be killed in Mexico.” The same migrant complained of waiting for an appointment via the CBP One platform for asylum applications.
Composition and Demographics of the Caravans
According to the Security Ministry in Chiapas, Mexico’s southernmost state, which borders Guatemala, estimates vary between 2,500 and 3,000 people are in caravans, of which the majority are Venezuelans. Local sources comment that, compared to previous months, there is a marked increase in the number of children traveling with the caravans.
Impact of US Immigration Policies
In June, the Biden administration implemented a rule prohibiting migrants intercepted while crossing into the US-Mexico border from requesting asylum; the outcome has been a sharp decline in daily detentions to an average of 2,500-3,000 each day. Nevertheless, hundreds of migrants continue to attempt to cross the US to apply for asylum because of insecurity, poverty, and other issues in their native countries.
Possible Influence of US Elections Looming
In the words of Jose Maria Garcia, director of the Juventud 2000 migrant shelter in Tijuana, though the exact destination of the caravans is not quite clear, it could also be that the uncertain outcome of the upcoming US elections acts as a motivating factor in the minds of migrants. It is all about political climate and changes in immigration policy within the US that creates influence upon decisions for the migrant’s hopes of a better future.