Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
– Emma Lazarus, The New Colossus
Since 1903 the above poem has graced the pedestal on which rests the Statue of Liberty. The poem is not only a reminder of what the monument represented, but of past and the struggles we faced. However, now I see the truth behind the words of President John F. Kennedy:
The famous words of Emma Lazarus on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty read:
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” Until 1921
this was an accurate picture of our society. Under present law it would be appropriate to
add: “as long as they come from Northern Europe, are not too tired or too poor or slightly
ill, never stole a loaf of bread, never joined any questionable organization, and can document
their activities from the past two years. – John F. Kennedy A Nation of Immigrants
In light of the caravan that started in Honduras and has now made their way to Mexico, in hopes of seeking asylum in the United States, it seems like truer words have never been spoken. These 7,000 people have left their homes in an attempt to escape the persecution they regularly suffer in their home countries. Since these refugees don’t all speak perfect English, are American educated, or have job offers with high salaries attached, it’s no surprise Trump doesn’t want them coming to the United States. These are three of the ways in which immigrants would be able to obtain “point” in a system Trump proposed in August of 2017. No, our administration has made it clear these refugees are not welcome. While I hope the caravan members are able to find peace in our country, it seems unlikely due to the growing nationalist ideology plaguing our nation. It also raises the question, if these refugees are leaving their homes to come to a place where they know they will face discrimination, anger, and hate, what hell are they trying to escape from?
Honduras is known as one of the world’s murder capitals. It is a country in which human rights are non existent. The majority of police and government officials are corrupt, journalists and lawyers are regularly murdered, inmates and gangs control the prisons, homophobia is overwhelming, and the rate of child homicide is steadily rising. It is no wonder parents have fled with their children in a hail mary pass for a better life. In a report explaining why Honduran citizens need asylum, the United Nations High Commission for Human rights stated, “The contemporary exodus of Hondurans in search of international protection is rooted in the human rights, social, political and economic impact of the the increasing reach, power and violence of gangs and other organized criminal groups in Honduras.” The report goes on to state the cause for increased violence is gang activity, drug trafficking, severe use of force used by government authorities. In November of 2017, protests over the recent presidential election and lack of transparency resulted in 31 deaths, hundreds of arrests, and ten day military enforced curfew. Of the 8.5 million people living in Honduras, roughly 63% live in poverty. To put it in perspective, these people are living on around $2.00 per day.
Caravans like these are often peoples only chance of escaping from Honduras. The strength and security provided by the sheer number of refugees makes it a less appealing target to the gangs and cartels infesting Central America. Once the caravans make it to Mexico things become more complicated in a political sense. Mexico faces growing demands from the US government to stop the caravans before they reach the northern border, but it has little affect. When the refugees arrive in Mexican cities they’re greeted with food, water, clothing, and medicine. This has been largely credited to the Catholic majority and the sentiments expressed by Pope Francis. In contrast, the United States has responded to this humanitarian crisis by sending more soldiers to the border. In April, a similar caravan was approaching the United States, prompting the National Guard to send 4,000 soldiers to guard in the border. In response to this latest “national emergency”, Trump has sent another 800 guards to the border, although the Pentagon has stated they are largely there to provide logistical support and contains a large number of legal and medical professionals.
In response to Mexico and Honduras being unable or unwilling to stop the caravan, President Trump has threatened to cut off foreign aid to their governments. By tweet. This brings me to the crux of the matter. We have seen the human rights reports regarding Honduras. We know about the government corruption. Do we really think corrupt government officials will care if people stop trying to help their impoverished? I do not. It is also unlikely that Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto will be interested in anything Trump has to say. He is one month away from the end of his six year term and unlike the US, in Mexico presidents can only run for one term. Perhaps it is meant to prevent people from starting their second campaign mere months after being elected. At any rate, it doesn’t look like the Mexican people are as much the cold hearted criminals they’ve been portrayed to be.
There have been numerous complaints against the US accepting refugees. Trump has proposed another travel ban, this time on Central Americans and the supposed Middle Easterners hiding among them. People are at odds over whether or not this will work, but I feel it is beside the point. It is no secret that many people in our country are unsatisfied with immigration. It is no secret that many Americans are fed up with illegal crossings at the border. We have all heard the thundering chants of “Build The Wall” and “America First”. However, I feel the solution is quite simple. We know why people come here. They’re desperate. I have no doubt that they would rather stay with their families and keep their homes than journey somewhere they know they will face persecution and discrimination. So rather than spend so much money, time, and resources on keeping people out or finding them so they can be deported, why don’t we help them so aren’t forced to leave in the first place? At any given time, ICE detention facilities hold a sum of 50,000 people. Each person costs roughly $135 per day. That’s approximately $6,750,000 per day. What if instead of spending this money on imprisoning refugees, we gave it to humanitarian efforts to improve the conditions of their homes? Now, I know what the response from people will be, “It’s not my problem, I didn’t come here illegally and my tax dollars shouldn’t be going to some other country.” Well, I have news for you. It is your problem now. Refugees are coming here to be protected, if you want them gone so badly, make it so they don’t have to come in the first place. In any case “your” tax dollars aren’t going to you anyway, they’re being used to detain desperate refugees.
So what’s the take away of all this? This is the second major caravan out of Honduras this year. People are suffering. Their government takes their land and robs them of jobs, protects the same criminal organizations torturing their citizens, and brutally puts down any notion of dissent. How far have we fallen tha we are unable to empathize with these people? Their children are being slaughtered or abducted by gangs as child soldiers. Refugees do not want to leave their homes or their families. They are forced out by circumstances beyond their control. We should not be turning them away or threatening people who have risked everything to find somewhere safer for their families.
- Amnesty International. (n.d.). Honduras 2017/2018. Retrieved from https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/americas/honduras/report-honduras/
- Ballhaus, R., & Pérez, S. (2018, October 16). Trump Threatens to Cut Off Aid to Honduras Over Immigration Caravan. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-threatens-to-cut-off-aid-to-honduras-over-immigration-caravan-1539697747
- Ballhaus, R., & Pérez, S. (2018, October 16). Trump Threatens to Cut Off Aid to Honduras Over Immigration Caravan. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-threatens-to-cut-off-aid-to-honduras-over-immigration-caravan-1539697747
- Human Rights Watch. (2017, January 12). World Report 2017: Rights Trends in Honduras. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2017/country-chapters/honduras
- Kopan, T. (2017, August 03). How to earn ‘points’ under Trump’s immigration plan. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/02/politics/cotton-perdue-trump-bill-point-system-merit-based/index.html
- Miroff, N. (2018, October 26). Migrant caravan: A travel ban for Central Americans? There’s a huge flaw in that plan. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2018/10/24/migrant-caravan-updates/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.d3c0972cb008
- Oppmann, P., & Gallón, N. (2018, October 28). A look inside the journey of the US-bound caravan migrants. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/28/americas/migrant-caravan-profiles/index.html
- Semple, K. (2018, April 04). Inside an Immigrant Caravan: Women and Children, Fleeing Violence. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/04/world/americas/mexico-trump-caravan.html
- United Nations. (2016, July 27). UNHCR Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing the International Protection Needs of Asylum-Seekers from Honduras. Retrieved from http://www.refworld.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/rwmain?page=search&docid=579767434&skip=0&query=eligibility guidelines
- Urbi, J. (2018, June 21). This is how much it costs to detain an immigrant in the US. Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/20/cost-us-immigrant-detention-trump-zero-tolerance-tents-cages.html
- Vazquez, M. (2018, October 23). Trump’s making the migrant caravan a political issue. Here are the facts. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/22/politics/donald-trump-migrant-caravan-fact-check/index.html
- World Bank. (2018, October 4). Overview. Retrieved from http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/honduras/overview