President Trump has been tweeting about the caravan for three days, using the migrants as a reason to blast Democrats, Mexico, and U. S. immigration laws.
For three straight days, President Trump has publicly fretted over a caravan of Hondurans that is making its way north, using the march as a reason to blast Democrats, the government of Mexico, U. S. immigration laws, foreign aid to Central America and NAFTA.
The barrage from the president has angered many in his base, leading to constant coverage on conservative news outlets and preparations by private militias in border states. The Mexican government has stepped in, deporting 400 of the migrants and warning that more expulsions may come.
The Hondurans say they’re just trying to find a safe place to live.
The saga of the caravan, which some estimates place at up to 1,500 people at its peak, became national news as soon as Trump started tweeting about it on Easter Sunday after it was featured on that morning’s edition of Fox & Friends .
In a series of tweets and public comments ever since, Trump said the „big Caravan of People from Honduras“ that has made it as far as Mexico „had better be stopped“ before it reaches the U. S. Southern border. If the Hondurans make it there, he tweeted, the „WEAK IMMIGRATION POLICIES“ of the U. S. would mean they could enter the U. S. and stay.
Trump warned Honduras that he would cut off foreign aid if it didn’t do more to stop its citizens from leaving. He warned the government of Mexico that if the caravan isn’t stopped, he would punish the country during the ongoing renegotiation of NAFTA. He blamed Democrats for refusing to change U. S. immigration laws or build his long-promised border wall, saying they prefer „open borders, drugs and crime!“
And on Tuesday, he said the situation has become so dire that he will deploy U. S. troops to the border.
„Until we can have a wall and proper security, we’re going to be guarding our border with the military,“ he said during a meeting in the White House. „That’s a big step. We really haven’t done that before.“
The Mexican government says it is doing everything it can legally do to slow down the caravan. In a statement released late Monday, the Mexican Ministry of the Interior said it had deported 400 of the marchers and may expel more if their claims for asylum are found to be fraudulent.
The statement made clear, however, that it was not the responsibility of Mexico to enforce immigration laws for the United States. The county has worked with the U. S. in the past to secure Mexico’s Southern border and limit the number of Central and South Americans traveling north to the U. S. But the ultimate decision on immigrants applying for asylum at the U. S. is up to the Americans, the statement read.
„It is not for this government to exercise immigration decisions of the United States or any other nation, so it will be the competent authorities of the American Union that decide… to authorize or deny the entry into its territory of the members of the caravan,“ the statement read.
News of the caravan may have just reached the White House, but the idea is not new.
For several years, immigrants trying to flee their home countries have banded together in larger groups to protect themselves from criminals who try to isolate immigrants and take advantage of them.
Pueblo Sin Fronteras — „People Without Borders“ — is a U. S.-based humanitarian group that is accompanying the Hondurans to act as human rights observers and offer them legal advice along the way. The group said smaller groups of immigrants often fall victim to all kinds of crimes.
The group said immigrants traveling in larger numbers make it easier to „protect themselves from dangers such as extortion, robbery, murder, sexual assault, torture and deportation.“
The group said members of the group are now facing a new risk: threats from the U. S. side of the border. The group said „right-wing extremists“ have threatened violence against members of the caravan who reach the U. S. border, adding another layer of fear for the migrants.
„These threats have gone so far as to include calls for militias and Border Patrol agents to open fire and even carry out drone strikes on caravan members, among them children as young as one month old,“ the statement read .
Several militia groups that have patrolled the border in recent years have posted news articles and updates to its members about the caravan.
Arizona Border Recon, which describes its mission as providing „intelligence and security services“ to Border Patrol agents, posted a news clips of the caravan on its Facebook page late Monday. The California State Militia, which describes itself as a „garrison of concerned citizen soldiers“ that trains its members in „light infantry operations“ and marksmanship, posted its own update Tuesday morning.
„About 400 men broke off and boarded freight trains heading north apparently to attempt to get to the border ahead of the larger group,“ the Facebook update read.
The Southern Arizona Militia also posted a story about the caravan that asked simply: „What should we do when they get to the border?“
