The migrant caravan has its own de facto government, and on this night the travelers from Central America gathered at the behest of a few leaders to discuss issues of the day as well as the big picture—such as what route to take to the U.S. border. “It’s your right to go to the U.S.,” Milton Benitez, a political analyst and sociologist who hosts the Honduran TV show “El Perro Amarillo,” implored the impassioned crowd. In a scene not unlike when a coach rallies his players before a big game, the Honduran media figure pressed the encircling migrants on the night of Nov. 7 not to give up on their “mission” to achieve the U.S. border. The five caravans highlight an unprecedented uptick in frequency and size from the normal flow of Central American migrants, experts say, potentially heralding a new era of larger, more frequent, and better organized caravans that could test U.S. immigration laws and strain the U.S.-Mexico relationship. “It’s never been like this, it’s an unprecedented volume,” said Gustavo Mohar, a former undersecretary for migration, population, and religious affairs in Mexico’s Interior Ministry. The migrants departed Mexico City on Saturday, heading for the border in Tijuana, opposite San Diego. Traveling on foot, the bulk of them likely would take several weeks to reach the U.S. border. Hidden Hand Benitez, the Honduran television personality, is also a member of Pueblo Sin Fronteras, or People Without Borders, according to Mexican news reports. People Without Borders is a Chicago-based nonprofit that has organized multiple migrant caravans aimed at the U.S. border. The nonprofit notably organized a caravan of Central American migrants in April known as the Migrants’ Way of the Cross. People Without Borders, however, insisted the caravan encamped in Mexico City was a grassroots, spontaneous movement. “Look, this started in Honduras as a united caravan. All of it,” said Oscar Noel Bonilla, a Honduran worker for the group who was organizing logistics. “There’s no director. No leader. Pueblo Sin Fronteras just provides the aid. They talk with immigration, federal officers.” Nevertheless, the group’s influence was on full display during the raucous nighttime assembly Nov. 7. The nonprofit’s organizers urged migrants to press on and offered seminars to prepare them for questions at the U.S. border from officials charged with verifying asylum claims. Rejecting Mexico’s Asylum Offer “This is a different social phenomenon,” Mohar, the former Mexican official, said in an interview with The Daily Signal. “It’s an expression of desperation. In my view, it’s an expression of the absolute failed states of Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.” In late October, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto announced a plan to offer temporary work permits, medical care, and government ID cards to Central American migrants seeking asylum in Mexico. Since that offer, about 3,500 migrants have split off from the first two caravans, opting to stay in Mexico, Mexican officials said. Of that number, many were women and children, officials said. So, as the caravans head north, the percentage of men increased. Larger Caravans as New Normal Caravans of migrants from Central America that traverse Mexico en route to the U.S. are nothing new. Yet, Mohar explained, each typically included fewer than 100 migrants. Mohar, who now runs Grupo Atalaya, a private consultancy specializing in strategic risk analysis and intelligence, was Mexico’s chief negotiator for migration affairs during the administration of then-President Vicente Fox. Asked if the current wave of caravans is a bellwether for things to come, Mohar replied without pause, “I’m afraid so.” “America needs to have a long-term view on this issue,” he said. “It can easily become caravans of 20,000 people if we’re not careful.”
A group of American immigration lawyers circulated in the encampment in Mexico City, easily identified by orange and white baseball hats that said in Spanish: “I Support Asylum in the U.S.”
Javier and the other American lawyers were there as part of People Without Borders’ effort to educate migrants about the U.S. asylum process. Some of the lawyers said they learned about the operation from group email lists.
David Inserra, a policy analyst for homeland security at The Heritage Foundation, traveled to Mexico City to observe the caravan firsthand.
“Based on the interviews I witnessed, most [migrants] do not have a valid asylum claim,” Inserra said. “Most talked about wanting a better life, a job, or perhaps [getting] away from societywide criminality.”
So who is this Puebo Sin Fronteras or People Without Borders? You can find out more about them in Group that escorts migrant caravans to U.S. border draws scrutiny in the Washington Times:
Irineo Mujica of Pueblo Sin Fronteras told several thousand migrants camped in the central plaza of Arriaga after walking and hitchhiking 60 miles that day that then-President Enrique Pena Nieto was about to leave office, and that Mexico in the past rejected eight of 10 applicants for asylum. He briefly mentioned the U.S. would also try to block their efforts but that the decision was up to the migrants... Irineo Mujica of Pueblo Sin Fronteras told several thousand migrants camped in the central plaza of Arriaga after walking and hitchhiking 60 miles that day that then-President Enrique Pena Nieto was about to leave office, and that Mexico in the past rejected eight of 10 applicants for asylum. He briefly mentioned the U.S. would also try to block their efforts but that the decision was up to the migrants. Irineo Mujica of Pueblo Sin Fronteras told several thousand migrants camped in the central plaza of Arriaga after walking and hitchhiking 60 miles that day that then-President Enrique Pena Nieto was about to leave office, and that Mexico in the past rejected eight of 10 applicants for asylum. He briefly mentioned the U.S. would also try to block their efforts but that the decision was up to the migrants.
How is this affecting us locally? Our first alert to this came from Erica Johnson-Valdez who wrote on her Facebook page on December 22nd:
Johnson-Valdez is speaking of the port of entry at Antelope Wells, NM.For all of my friends that don’t live on the border here’s the migrant reality that we’re living with every day. Between 300-600 migrants are being bussed out of Antelope Wells up to Lordsburg WEEKLY! They’re fed, bathed, clothes are washed, they’re then processed and sent on to El Paso where they get a court date, an EBT, and are turned loose. In addition to those, hundreds more are crossing illegally because they don’t want to wait to do it legally. They’re bringing across trash, diseases, you name it and scattering it across our backyard. Local medical clinics and businesses that serve the port are OVERWHELMED. And this is only one port!! It’s like this across the southern border. It’s truly a state of emergency and our government and mainstream media has the gall to blame it on the Border Patrol. Those poor guys are doing all they can with limited resources and abilities. Wake up people! Call you legislators and demand that things change. Don’t believe what you’re seeing on TV, it’s all a fake agenda that’s being pushed on us by a mainstream media. Pretty soon they will be in your backyard too.
And before any of you start calling me a racist, a non Christian, a privileged white woman and anything else you can think of I have one more thing to say. This has NOTHING to do with race, the “wall”, political affiliation or religion. This has to do with ILLEGAL immigration. I don’t care how many come here LEGALLY with respect for this country and it’s laws. I’m a proud Christian and American and I believe everyone should have a fair chance to make their lives better. It’s those that disrespect this country, it’s citizens and it’s laws that I have an issue with.
She is also the first to report to us the illegal migrants were being bussed to El Paso, Texas, which is now being covered by the local media.
About 500 migrants released by ICE Wednesday, over 1,000 released past few days
City of El Paso resources used in response to mass release of migrants by ICE
El Paso Mayor Margo calls migrant releases a crisis
In New Mexico, the illegal migrants are apparently being allowed to cross the border and are then bussed to an urban center and set free. In California, the illegal migrants were not allowed to cross, with most waiting 30 days or more before allowed access to claim asylum. Why the difference? How will this be handled in the future, with a new caravan of 15,000 headed our way in January?
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