Migrant caravan swellsto7,000
Trump threatens to cut Central America aid as defiant crowds push towards US |
Atremendous caravan of migrants from Central America that slowly trekked toward the southwestern border this week, both captivating the world and enraging US President Donald Trump and other politicians, is just the latest of several to stretch north towards the United States in recent years.
Though the current group appeared to be among the largest, two caravans last year each drew about 350 migrants. Some travelled all the way to the United States, where they applied for asylum. Others sought protection in Mexico. Still others dropped out along the way.
In this case, in defiance of the Mexican and US governments, more than 7,000 Central American undocumented migrants have been en route to the United States for more than a week.
“It’s not true that everyone wants to end up in the US. Many people in that caravan will seek asylum in Mexico,” said Joanna Williams, advocacy director for the Kino Border Initiative, which works with migrants.
But Mexican officials have said migrants who seek asylum do not have the legal obligation to apply in Mexico, and, thus, many hundreds or thousands are likely to show up at the US border to request protection. Crowds of migrants often make the journey over land together in large numbers to protect themselves against drug traffickers, muggers and rapists who stalk the trail. The largest caravans tend to take place during the Easter season.
The last Easter caravan to reach the United States departed Central America in April. At its peak, it numbered about 1,500 people, according to Alex Mensing, project coordinator with Pueblo Sin Fronteras, the transnational group that organised it.
By the time it reached San Diego in early May, the group had dwindled to fewer than one-