Another migrant caravan is on its way to the U.S. border. But it’s not what you think.
This caravan is made up of mostly women and children fleeing extreme violence and poverty. The countries where most are coming from–Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador—are some of the most dangerous countries in the world.
In these countries, it is common for gangs to recruit minors, forcing them to join their violent ranks, and to rape and sexually assault women. These people have no choice but to leave, making them asylum seekers and qualifying them for asylum visas.
Some of the immigrants are not even trying to reach the United States, just cities in northern Mexico where there are more work opportunities than in the impoverished south.
They are desperate.
Still, most of them will never gain entry into the United States. The United States only gives 62,500 asylum visas per year, even though many more people are asking for them.
More than 1.7 million migrants have been apprehended on the border during the past year. The majority of them are being expelled under Title 42, a pandemic-era order that allows US border agents to quickly turn back migrants without the chance to apply for asylum.