November 26, 2018

Caravan Arrives at Border

“President Donald Trump tweeted on Saturday that migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border would stay in Mexico until their asylum claims were individually approved in U.S. courts, but Mexico’s incoming government denied they had struck any deal.”

Reuters

“U.S. border agents fired tear gas on hundreds of migrants protesting near the border with Mexico on Sunday after some of them attempted to get through the fencing and wire separating the two countries, and American authorities shut down border crossings from the city where thousands are waiting to apply for asylum.”

AP News

See past issues

From the Left

The left is focused on the underlying causes driving the migrants to emigrate.

I live in Honduras, where people are in constant fear of being murdered... 9-year-old Andres told me about the first time he saw someone killed in front of his eyes, and the second time, and the third time... I told him I’ve actually never seen anyone be killed. His eyes widened, incredulous. That seemed impossible to him: someone my age, a grown adult, never having seen these things. He dreamed about going to the U.S., a place he imagined he might be able to live without seeing any more murders."

Fortune

“The Miami Herald found that the political violence in Honduras, which has contributed to an exodus of migrants, was sometimes carried out with U.S.-made weapons used by the government’s paramilitary force... Founded in 2013... [the force] quickly earned a nasty human rights reputation, including for extrajudicial killings… Official U.S. policy is to avoid supporting or associating with the Honduran military police in any way."

Miami Herald

“I met with a group of Central American LGBTQ youth who told me that on each day, for five consecutive days, CBP refused to let them apply for asylum. When I told them it was lawful to present at a port of entry to ask for asylum, they replied, ‘That’s what we told CBP!’ Each day they were rejected, they say CBP told them the same thing: ‘Guatemalans make us sick.’”

Slate

Trump should “send judges, not troops, to the border... A rational response would be to add to the 350 or so immigration judges, who cannot handle the tens of thousands of asylum claims flooding the immigration courts annually. The administration this year hired a few dozen judges, a fraction of what is required. As the caseload has more than quadrupled since 2006, the number of judges has not even doubled."

Washington Post

Finally, many posit that “any extended ‘remain in Mexico’ policy will have adverse consequences for the bilateral relationship. If your relationship goal is to create tensions with Mexico, extended stays for Central American migrants in Mexico or derogatory statements about Mexico's own border security will do the trick."

CNN

From the Right

The right supports efforts to keep the migrants out, and is strongly in favor of the potential deal with Mexico.

The right supports efforts to keep the migrants out, and is strongly in favor of the potential deal with Mexico.

Our nation clearly cannot just open the borders to anyone who chooses to walk through. So, when frustrated migrants... simply try to force their way in, how ought our country respond? It seems fairly obvious that the correct response is the one they met: a forceful one."

The Federalist

The number of asylum applications has exploded since 2014 as more migrants learn to exploit [the policy of releasing asylum applicants pending the resolution of their claims], which the Trump administration sees as a loophole encouraging illegal border crossings and straining the US immigration system. Many applicants, especially those with flimsy asylum claims, never appear for their court dates. And fewer than 10 percent of those who pass an initial interview are granted asylum."

New York Post

“Many [immigrants] are applying for asylum because they know they will be able to live in the U.S. for years while their asylum requests are processed. U.S. immigration courts have an incredible backlog of more than 750,000 cases."

Fox News

“Tijuana's mayor says the Honduran migrants... are determined to get into the United States even if they have to cross the border illegally... Mexico has repeatedly offered migrant caravan members work permits and temporary visas on the suspicion that many of the migrants' asylum claims will be denied. Most of the migrants in the caravan have refused the Mexican government's offers."

Daily Wire

Despite contradictory reports, many offer reasons to be optimistic about the deal occurring.

“There are jobs to be filled in Mexico and a lot of potential laborers hanging around near the border in Tijuana. Since the new Mexican President would no doubt like to start his tenure enjoying good relations with his neighbor to the north, there’s the potential for a win-win here. They get to fill a lot of short-term job openings and they score points with Donald Trump... If this is actually going to be their new policy going forward, Donald Trump has pulled off a deal nobody saw coming.”

Hot Air

This deal is a win-win for both Mexico and the U.S. because it recognizes common sense truths and plays to both countries' strengths and their shared business interests."

The Resurgent

“Instead of blaming the migrants who are fleeing violence and corruption in Central America, we should recognize why they are leaving and do something about it. If we succeed in improving economic conditions and reducing drug-related violence in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, then we can expect that the citizens of those countries will choose to stay home."

Washington Post

Get troll-free political news.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.