Five Facts: The Migrant Caravan

Over the past week, the world has watched as thousands of migrants collectively travel across Central America toward the U.S. southern border. This group, called the “caravan,” includes those seeking a better life from the destitute conditions in their home countries. While the Mexican government has vowed to ensure that only those lawfully allowed to continue the journey will be able to do so, President Trump has already made clear the U.S. will not welcome this group.

Here are five facts about the caravan, who is taking part, and how it has reignited the immigration debate:

1. As of Sunday, the caravan of Central American migrants includes 5,000 men, women, and children. According to The New York Times, almost all of the migrants are from Honduras, which is where the caravan began more than a week ago. The Times reports that the caravan initially included fewer than 200 migrants fleeing their country, but has ballooned in size in less than two weeks.

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2. Today, the conditions for many in Honduras, where the majority of migrants are fleeing, are dire. The Washington Post has reported that the levels of violence in the country are among the highest in the world, with a homicide rate of nearly 43 killings per 100,000 people. There also continues to be political unrest and widespread economic distress. 

3. The caravan is designed to protect migrants during their journey north through Guatemala and Mexico until they safely reach the United States. For those fleeing their homelands for America, the passage to safety can be both long and dangerous. According to Fox News, people travel across country borders on buses, by hitchhiking, or by walking, and they risk rape, violence, and extortion along the way. But many remain undeterred. U.S. border arrests have increased dramatically since President Trump ended his controversial policy of separating families.

4. Quartz reported that the caravan began as a largely symbolic way to make a political statement. Similar “Stations of the Cross” caravans have been held in Mexico over the past decade to highlight the trauma of migrants traveling through Central America. In April, there was a caravan with over 1,000 participants, but it never gained the momentum of the current migration.  

5. President Trump has made it clear he does not support the caravan, and has leveraged this opportunity to call for stronger immigration laws. The president has said migrants will not be able to enter the United States unless they have already applied for asylum in Mexico. It is also possible that he will close the country’s 2,000-mile southern border altogether in response to the caravan’s continued movement north.