FX.co ★ Promised land: Caravan of immigrants makes its way toward US border

On 12 October, in the crime-ridden Honduran city of San Pedro Sula, a group of 160 people gathered at a bus terminal and prepared to set off on the dangerous journey to the US border. They had been planning the trek for more than a month. But after their plan was posted on Facebook, news of it quickly spread and the numbers swelled to more than 1,000 people.

The caravan set off in the early hours of 13 October. They have since crossed into neighbouring Guatemala and then Mexico, with thousands more people joining along the way. The Mexican government estimates about 3,600 people are heading north. The UN said that the caravan currently comprises some 7,000 people.

These are not the first attempts of a group of people to cross the US border, but this caravan has become the most numerous.

Most migrants are looking for a better life in the USA and Mexico. Guatemala, Sadvador and Hondurasconsistently rank among the most violent countries in the world. "We want to give our children a better future and here [in Honduras] we can't find work," one mother of two told the local newspaper.

“The United States for us is a promised land, a sanctuary,” said Jose Vega, one of the caravan's participants. “To reach any sanctuary, you have to take risks.”

The journey is gruelling and poses a number of challenges for those who decide to join the caravan. On average, a caravan covers from 30 to 50 km per day. Most of the migrants took with them only one backpack, leaving everything else at home.

The day of the caravan's participants starts at 3 o'clock in the morning. Because of the hot weather during the day, participants run the risk of sunstroke and therefore they begin to move before dawn. On the way there are not many reliable sources of water and food, so many suffer from dehydration. The correspondent of The Washington Post, who traveled more than 40 km with the caravan in one day, writes about it.

In addition to the shortage of food and water, migrants face criminal gangs who abduct procession participants to get ransom or sell them into slavery. But even in spite of these difficulties, many feel safer than in their own countries.

The caravan reached the Guatemala-Mexico border and divided: 3,500 people are moving through southern Mexico; the second group of 3,000 migrants was located on the Guatemala-Mexico border.

Mexico has sent hundreds of police to its southern border. Honduran migrants in a massive caravan surged across a bridge leading to Mexico before they were halted in a chaotic confrontation with a phalanx of Mexican police in riot gear. Several police and an undetermined number of migrants were injured (including women and children).

Mexico has offered temporary work permits to migrants who register for asylum. The plan also envisages temporary ID cards, medical care and schooling. But to qualify, migrants must remain in Mexico's southern Chiapas and Oaxaca states. The Mexican president, Enrique Peña Nieto, said that this plan is only for those who comply with Mexican laws.

Some have accepted the Mexican authorities' offer, but most migrants said they had no intention of abandoning their plans to head to the US. "Because, yes, while life here is calmer than at home, it's still not like the US where it would get better. That's the goal: to have a better life," refugees said. However, another migrant described Mr Peña Nieto's proposal as a decent "plan B".

Donald Trump announced his intention to send more than 5,000 troops to the border with Mexico and promised to stop financing Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador if they continue allowing residents to cross their borders in order to reach the United States and "pass through into territory of our country illegally." All illegal immigrants will be sent back to their countries, Trump added. There also are already more than 2,000 National Guard troops at the border. Pentagon officials announced that by the end of the week they would deploy 5,200 soldiers on the border, stating that the operation, called “True Patriot”, should tighten the check at the entry points. This is more than the overall number of the US military in Iraq and Syria. Most will be sent to Texas, Arizona, and California, many will be armed.

There also are already more than 2,000 National Guard troops at the border. Pentagon officials announced that by the end of the week they would deploy 5,200 soldiers on the border, stating that the operation, called “True Patriot”, should tighten the check at the entry points. This is more than the overall number of the US military in Iraq and Syria. Most will be sent to Texas, Arizona, and California, many will be armed.

Tents will be set up at the border for arriving migrants. "We are not going to build structures and spend all of this, hundreds of millions of dollars. We are going to have tents. They are going to be very nice, and if they don’t get asylum, they get out," Trump said during an interview. The military will ensure that migrants do not leave the tent cities until the end of the legal proceedings.

US media and experts believe that Trump is artificially inflating the topic of migration on the eve of the November midterm congressional elections. While there is only a week left before the elections, migrants will need at least two months to reach the US-Mexico border, so there’s nothing to worry about.