Thousands of Hondurans have crossed into Guatemala on their way to the United States via Mexico. It could be a recurring story if the Biden administration relaxes border crossing enforcement and passes a citizenship path for illegal immigrants.
Summary
Migrant caravans are back in the news just in time for the Biden Administration to take office.
- 9,000 Hondurans are attempting to make their way to the United States via Guatemala and Mexico after “new humanitarian challenges” created by weather, coronavirus, and internal violence in Central America according to the International Red Cross.
- The Guatemalan government is seeking to prevent the caravan from moving any farther north, using tear gas and sticks to “beat back” the migrants.
- American officials have warned the caravan to stop, saying they will not be allowed to enter the United States.
- One migrant caravan began forming a month ago, which saw resistance before it crossed out of Honduras.
- At the height of coverage about Central American caravans, the United States worked with several Central American nations and Mexico, the latter of which created an asylum program that allowed migrants to stay and work in Mexico rather
- NBC News highlighted the incoming Biden administration’s promise to end the strict enforcement of immigration laws but their own warnings that it will not be changed “overnight” when those officials warned the caravan to stop traveling.
- The New York Times began their coverage with colorful language meant to cast Guatemalan security forces as oppressive and having used excessive force, saying “migrants tried to force their way through the phalanx but were beaten back by security forces with truncheons, shields and clouds of tear gas.”
- Similar language and sympathy was used by The Guardian, which highlighted Trump’s 2018 statements about migrant caravans.
- Fox News wrote about the hopes of those moving illegally that “the Biden government honors its commitments” to easing asylum rules and relaxing border enforcement.
- Warnings from the incoming Biden administration that it wasn’t yet time to cross in to the US was the focus of Breitbart’s reporting, with a separate report highlighting the Tony Blinken, nominated to be Secretary of States, praising German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s “open borders” policy.
- The Washington Examiner makes the connection between the movement of migrant caravans and the change at the White House, saying “Biden is reportedly ready to send legislation offering a path to citizenship” for millions already in the United States.
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© Dallas Gerber, 2021
