Migrant Caravan From Honduras Headed Toward Border
BY CAMERON ARCAND
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:
A migrant caravan with roughly 600 migrants headed toward the United States from Honduras was stopped at the Guatemalan border shortly after.
When an estimated 300 of the migrants seeking to illegally immigrate arrived at the Izabal province of Guatemala, law enforcement with “anti-riot” gear was prepared to halt the massive group in their tracks, ABC News reported.
Thirty-six of those migrants were already deported back to Honduras, whereas 10 of them got the green light to continue their trek, the outlet added.
The migrants are now being told to go back to their home countries or stay in the country if they have proper documentation.
The group was mostly comprised of people from Cuba, Nicaragua, and Honduras, according to Border Report.
Related: Border State Governors Take Security Into Their Own Hands
Migrants will occasionally travel in caravans through Central America in hopes of illegally immigrating to the United States in a way that they perceive to be safer and less expensive than traveling alone or working with smugglers.
Although many of these people may be headed to the U.S. for good reasons, the Guatemalan government was right to prevent the caravan from going any further.
These caravans, primarily because of their sheer size, pose significant health and public safety threats.
First off, there’s a reason why Guatemala is requiring proof of vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test. The principle of mandatory vaccination is obviously flawed, but there is still enough reasonable concern about the spread of the illness to solicit a negative test prior to entry.
There’s no clear vetting process for the people in these caravans, so it’s impossible to know everybody’s background. This leaves the door open for drug trafficking, violence, and numerous other crimes to occur. Guatemala is simply doing its duty to protect its citizens, which in turn will benefit the U.S.
The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol has been overwhelmed with droves of illegal immigrants making their way across the border, which has been met with little action from the Biden administration.
In the 2021 fiscal year, there were over 1.7 million border encounters, according to government data. For the 2022 fiscal year, which includes October and November 2021, there have already been 338,000 encounters, and that does not even factor in the soon-to-be-released December figures.
As the winter months bring cooler yet more bearable weather to Mexico and the American Southwest, it would not be surprising if more caravans form. Hopefully, other governments will take action to process these caravans, discourage them from arriving at the U.S. border, and take the strain off of American forces.