A migrant caravan that left Honduras in late September is currently making its way through southern Mexico. Unlike previous migrant caravans that left the border city of Tapachula with the intention to stay in Mexico for now, this caravan has advertised the desire to go straight to the U.S.-Mexico border.
While migrant caravans during Trump 2.0 is not a new trend, the reason why this one grabbed the attention of Americans is because it is happening so close to our midterm elections.
When the “Faith and Hope” caravan entered Mexico, it numbered around 300 people. The caravan’s membership doubled when it left Tapachula, with non-Mexican migrants who have been stuck in Mexico deciding to join the latest way to get out of town.
According to local media reports, this group intends to walk to Oaxaca, the state that borders Chiapas. From there, they will have different routes to go through Mexico City on their way north.
The common response by U.S. Democrats whenever a migrant caravan makes national headlines is, “It’s a scare tactic by Republicans” or even suggesting the caravans are not really real. I remember seeing those comments during President Trump’s first term, which is why it is not surprising that those same obtuse talking points have been used with the “Faith and Hope” caravan. It further shows Democrats don’t care to understand migrant activity or trends.
The question of why this caravan’s publicly stated mission is different from the ones a few months ago is not hard to understand…