Only the 'Most Vulnerable' Are Left on the Refugee Caravan Trump Wants to Stop

By Jorge Rivas  |  April 11, 2018 | 6:06pm
Immigration

Organizers with the “refugee caravan” say they are less than a week away from reaching the U.S.-Mexico border—but only the “most vulnerable” members of the group are left.

The caravan started on March 25, with more than 1,200 migrants fleeing poverty and violence in Central America (about 80% of caravan participants are from Honduras). The caravan made national headlines when President Donald Trump learned the migrants planned on seeking refuge in the United States. “It had better be stopped before it gets there,” Trump tweeted.

Trump then announced he planned to send 2,000 to 4,000 National Guard troops to guard the border.

By now, only an estimated 250-300 migrants are expected to reach the U.S.-Mexico border near Tijuana next week, according to Rodrigo Abeja, a coordinator from Pueblo Sin Fronteras, a transnational organization that organized the caravan.

The remaining group is made up of mostly unaccompanied minors, women migrating on their own, and family units—“the most vulnerable individuals,” as Abeja described them.

The migrants who are seeking asylum when they reach the border have all been vetted by a team of more than 20 attorneys, Abeja told Splinter.


The migrants who will not continue the journey north have been granted humanitarian visas in Mexico or are currently applying for authorizations, Abeja said.

The caravan is expected to leave Mexico City sometime in the next day and head to a U.S port of entry near Tijuana by bus. The remaining group is due to arrive at the border in five days.

Clarification, 4:29 PM: This post has been updated to better identify “the most vulnerable individuals” Abeja describes.

 
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