News: Honduras Citizens Lead The Biggest Migrant Caravan Ever Recorded Into The US
by Lucas Agatep
On October 12th, a massive caravan of migrants, mostly made up of Hondurans, started their journey to the United States. Migrant caravan have happened before, but this one is the biggest of them all.
Past migrant caravans were around a few hundred to a thousand, but the initial amount of migrants for this caravan were estimated at about five thousand. The numbers grew over the last couple weeks, reaching seven thousand, as the number is only expected to grow as the days go on and the caravan nears the U.S. southern border.
Reasoning behind the current migrant caravan is to escape from crime and poverty in the people’s home country of Honduras. There are over 9 million people that live in Honduras, but 5.5 million of them – around two thirds of the population – live in poverty, with most people’s average income ranging around $120 per month.
In recent years murders have gone up to 43 per 100,000 people according to Honduras’ National Autonomous University. Gangs have a big contribution to the murders and problems that Honduras faces. They control large amounts of territory, and conduct drug trafficking through the country. Crime and corruption amongst government and police leave public support and opinions hopeless.
The migrants on this immigration hope are that they will be able to get a better life in the US and achieve the American Dream.
The caravans plan is to get to the US by traveling on foot or by vehicle through Mexico to the US-Mexico border. Recently, the caravan has already gone through Guatemala where police made an attempt to delay or stop the caravan, but still got through.
This goal and recent activity has a negative view from US president Donald Trump, who has made claims of it being a terrorist and cartel influenced problem, which is false due to no proof of his claims. Trump warns that if the caravan isn’t stopped, he will cut financial aid to certain South American countries and deploy military personnel to close the border between US and Mexico.
Immigrants are looking for a better life and will continue to make their journey from the poverty of Honduras to try and live out the American Dream.
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