LA CARAVANA DEL DIABLO

In January 2020, fleeing violence and poor economic conditions, Hondurans organized a massive migrant caravan that traveled through Guatemala into Mexico. After traveling for eight days, the caravan crossed the Suchiate River into Mexico and was met by the recently established Guardia Nacional, comprised of former Federal, Military, and Naval Police.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has historically called for safe passage for migrants. However, when US President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs, Mexico reversed its policy and deployed soldiers to keep Central American migrants from entering Mexico.

Migrants attempting to enter Mexico split into two major groups. The largest group crossed the Suchiate River and was tear-gassed by the Guardia Nacional. They were forced to retreat and waited by the river's edge for two days. Their second attempt to cross the river (at four in the morning) was a success, but it was only hours later that the Guardia Nacional surrounded them, put them on busses, and sent them back to Honduras.

The smaller group was amassed in the border town of El Ceibo in Guatemala and was met by the head of foreign relations in Mexico. He welcomed migrants in groups of 10 to enter Mexico and seek asylum. Migrants were briefly kept in detention centers, and, against the head of foreign relations's word, they were deported back to Honduras without being allowed to seek asylum.

Trump has effectively barred asylum seekers from entering the US by threatening to impose tariffs and cut foreign aid to Central American countries. The human cost of Trump's political agenda is denying people their fundamental human rights. For many asylum seekers, deportation will result in living a life of extortion, impoverishment, and even death. The total effect of Trump's xenophobic policies toward immigrants and asylum seekers will no doubt be felt for generations to come.