Breezy Explainer: Migrant caravan-Why are people in Mexico marching to the US border?

Thousands of migrants of various nationalities are marching toward the US border through southern Mexico. The migrant caravan is coinciding with the three-day Summit of the Americas that began on June 8.

What is the migrant caravan?

On Monday, thousands of migrants of various nationalities started a 2,000 km journey on foot to reach the US border in hopes of escaping difficulties in their native countries. According to migrant activists, this could be one of the last migrant caravans of this size. This was timed to coincide with the three-day-long summit of the Americas that started on June 8 in Los Angeles. Migration is one of the key issues up for discussion in the meeting.

As per a Reuters report, over 6,000 people started their long journey from Tapachula, a city in southern Mexico close to the Guatemalan border. Most of the migrants are from Cuba, Haiti, and Venezuela. On Thursday, the AFP reported an additional 11,00 joined the caravan. The numbers are estimated to reach 15,000.

However, unlike the past caravans, this contains a significant proportion of people from Venezuela. This is owing to the a new policy introduced by Mexico in January, which requires Venezuelans to have a visa to enter the country. Previously, it was easier for them to enter Mexico as tourists and make their way to the border.

What is the reason behind the march and movement?

Large-scale caravans with people from South and Central America have been taking place regularly since 2018. Forced to leave leave their homes due to poverty, violence and socio-political issues, thousands from Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvadore enter Mexico, with the hopes of finally reaching the US. Over the last few years, although unsuccessful, authorities in Mexico and Guatemala have attempted to curtail the movement.

Now, they are wishing to leave Mexico as the nation’s new migrant containment policy is making their lives difficult. In Mexico, migrants that apply for humanitarian visas or asylums are supposed to remain in the southernmost state of Chiapas (where Tapachula is located) while the cases are processed,

According to migrants, the Mexican authorities have been slow in granting the visas.

Why is the summit of the Americas important?

The Summit of the Americas is seeking to address several shared challenges including economy, migration, and climate change.

President Biden will be holding a meeting with regional leaders to sign a declaration that will aim to alleviate the migrant crisis in the Americas.

Biden called it “a ground-breaking, integrated new approach” with shared accountability across the hemisphere.

Organizers of the migrant caravan revealed that they are coinciding the timing with the summit to ensure that the regional leaders are aware of the problems they face.

“The migrant women and children, the migrant families are not bargaining chips for ideological and political interests,” stated Luis García Villagrán, additionally stressing the message. Villagrán belongs to the Center of Human DIgnity and helped in organizing the march.

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