Sarai Pulido

Against an Asylum For Migrant Caravan

As of October, 2018 thousand of Central Americans from Honduras, Guatemala and El

Salvador started a caravan to flee their home countries to escape persecution, poverty, gang

violence from MS 13. El Salvador is ground zero for MS 13 a gang that is known for killing,

torturing, and kidnapping its own people, this violent gang forces people especially young teens

to be part of their violent life and the consequences of not participating will be tortured and then

killed. These migrants are leaving everything behind from their homes to their loved ones, as

well as risking their own lives to find a better way of life in the U.S.These central americans

want to work in the U.S to send money back home to their families that are in need.

In the news article “Migrant caravan: What is it why does it matter” by BBC News, states

that “ Many say their dreams is to reach the U.S some have relatives there whom they hope to

join, others have chosen it as their destination for higher salaries than Latin America”(BBC

news). Not everyone agrees with what they hear in the media about the migrants, there is a lot of

biased news sources. Most people see the migrants caravan as a group of people that just want to

seek an asylum in the U.S to escape violence, poverty, and corruption in their home country. The

United States has millions of legal and illegal immigrants that work hard and contribute the U.S.

In the migrant caravan people want to work in the U.S to help provide for their families back

home millions work in very stressful low paying jobs. Not all in the caravan are perfect, some

might make a minor mistakes that will get them in trouble with the law.

However, others see the migrant caravan as a group of people that are breaking the
federal laws of entry into the United States by trying to violently and unlawfully make their way

into the United States by either jumping or breaking threw the U.S border. The President of the

U.S Donald Trump and most people have called it an invasion, because the migrants are not

waiting in line to seek an asylum like they should but instead they are demanding and forcing

themselves across. Some news sources such as The Washington Post, CNN, NBC, Telemundo,

and Univision do not accurately report the news and instead are biased to the migrants by

reporting that “ U.S border agents are using extreme force against the migrants” but they don’t

report the reason why they use legal force. For example, in the article Tear gas should never

have been used at the border. It doesn’t belong at protests either by Jamil Dakwar, he states that “

pictures of migrant women and children fleeing as teas gas canisters were fired at them by U.S.

border agents this week shocked many Americans, but the Trump administration praised the

border patrol for responding “admirably and responsibility” in deploying the “accepted use of

nonlethal force”. and allow the migrants to seek an asylum in the U.S” (Dakwar).

The caravan is desperate to seek asylum in the U.S so much that they have rushed and

forced themselves passed Mexican police forces to reach the U.S southern border. When the

caravan reached Mexico in November, it violently over ran the mexican border and injured many

members of the Mexican military and police. In the article, by the New York Times: As Trump

Assails Caravan, a Clash Between Migrants and Mexico Police, by Maya Averbuch and Kirk

Semple, Averbuch and Semple state that “ after a tense hour long standoff, during which

migrants hurled objects at the police, including rocks and shoes, the police fired canisters of tear

gas, forcing the migrants to retreat. At least six Phalanx mexican riot police were wounded in the

confrontation”(Averbuch,Semple).

The news, liberals,and democrats are misleading the people and misinforming Americans
that the migrant caravan is full of women and children which there is but they’re over

exaggerating majority of the caravan is mostly packed with young and mid aged males, also they

said that there was no caravan on its way and once the caravan arrived the mainstream media

said that the caravan is peaceful, non-violent and have not caused any harm to people. Trump has

warned the migrant caravan to peacefully return back to their countries because the U.S will not

open the border for them to seek an asylum. In the article “Military Time” by Tara Copp, he

states that Donald Trump has deployed twenty-one hundred U.S troops to the southern border to

protect and stop the migrant caravan from entering the U.S illegally. The U.S has to take care of

its own people first before helping others from another country. Would people help another

family if their own family is struggling? These migrant caravans are getting out of control, more

than ten thousand will reach the U.S Southern border.

On the thirteenth of November more than seven-thousand Central American migrants

have now reached Tijuana, Mexico and are now staying in temporary shelters in the border cities

of Tijuana and Mexicali. In the beginning of their arrival citizens of Tijuana welcomed the

caravan and offered food, clothes, water, and shelter. Within the week tensions rise as residents

saw that people from the caravan are becoming ungrateful for the free food they have been

given. In a Youtube video “ Migrant Caravan: Tensions rise in Tijuana | DW News” the migrant

named Miriam Celaya complains about receiving the same food which is Beans and tortillas and

compares it to “ pig food” in her own words she said “ this is the type of food pigs would eat”.

After that surfaced it sparked anger from latinos living in the U.S. and also people in Mexico.

The reason why it sparked anger was from the fact that she was so ungrateful, it’s not the
responsibility of the Mexican people to take care of the migrant caravan. They have no

obligation in having to give them food and shelter. The migrants should be grateful and lucky

that the people in Mexico just didn’t stand by and watch them slowly collapse, because if it

wasn’t for the Mayor of Tijuana and his people the entire migrant caravan would have been

starving to death or dying of hypothermia cause of not having any shelter. If she doesn’t like

what she's has been given then maybe she should try to look for a job to acquire better food that

fit her standards. For that Honduran lady to sit there and say that “ she is tired of the receiving

the same food, the people in Mexico are not showing an effort in trying to help, and that the food

is the type of food pigs eat”, thats is just appalling.

The Mexican side of the border is overcrowded, unsafe and getting out of control. In the

article “ Mexico: Tijuana declares humanitarian crisis over migrant caravan” by The Guardian

Associated press, state that “ the mayor of Tijuana has declared a humanitarian crisis in his

border city and said he was asking the United Nations for aid to deal with approximately five

thousand Central Americans migrants, most of whom are camped inside a sports complex ”

(Associated Press). Asylum seekers are losing their patience and demand entry to the United

States as they force themselves by trying to jump over the wall and by breaking through fences

of the mexican border. They are so desperate that they are become very violent by throwing

rocks at police helicopters, and government workers. The article said that most of the people in

the caravan have caused trouble for the residents of Tijuana, that the residents are starting to get

frustrated and angry with the caravan.

Now residents have started an anti-caravan protest fighting to get the caravan out of

Mexico. In the article, “ Tijuana first!: protest grow against migrant caravan in Mexico”, by The

Guardian reporter Sarah Kinosian, in Tijuana states that “ an anti-caravan protesters chanted:
“Out Honduras, we don’t want you here”, “ Tijuana first” , long live Mexico”, and waved

Mexican flags and signs reading “ no to the invasion”, and “ no more migrants”( Kinosian). Is it

fair that people in the caravan don’t want to wait in line behind others? Mexican citizens have

been on the waiting list for months to seek asylum. They just can’t rush the border and get

whatever they want, it’s just not fair. This is now an invasion, but the bias media is trying very

hard to convince people that this is not an invasion, these are peaceful people, and that they are

not armed or trying to hurt anybody. The United States saves millions of dollars by keeping the

caravan in mexicali and Tijuana. CIS ( Center for Immigration Studies released an article The

Benefits of Keeping the Caravan in Tijuana by Andrews R. Arthur, he states that “ If the caravan

remains in Tijuana and Mexicali, the United States government would save anywhere between

$43 million and $76 million in detention cost”(Arthur). News agencies such as CNN and NBC

tend to mislead to the people by being over dramatic and making it seem like the the border

patrol agencies are to blame.

For example, informing people that women and children have been attacked by the U.S

border patrol agencies for which is true but they are trying to move back all of the males and

anybody trying to break into the fences or jumping over the wall illegally. The media doesn’t say

“ the border patrol is forced to throw tears gas at the migrant caravan that was viciously trying to

break threw the U.S border”. The media want people to have sympathy for the caravan and make

it seem like the U.S border agents are doing something unlawful. For example in the article

The ones that are doing bad and should have people pointing fingers towards too are the

women that are putting their own kids in danger. Why would these women put their own kids in

the middle of border agents and migrants were in one side there are migrants throwing rocks and

trying to break into the border illegally and in the other side there are U.S. border agents doing
there job and using force which in the moment they had to use tear gas because everything was

getting out of control. What are these women doing keep the kids as far away as you can from

the chaos. If they really cared like they say they do then they wouldn’t put them in around that

type of chaos. The border agents are doing their job and stopping the chaos. What do people

expect the U.S, agents to do, just stand around hope for the best and tell the migrants to please

not jump over the border. Action is whats is needed to stop them, just imagine if agents did not

use force the migrants would have all been in the United States enjoying and taking advantage

with what the U.S has to offer great insurance, food stamps, and just loads of money for free.

The consequences of letting the migrants seek asylum in the U.S. are that once they enter,

the U.S. government loses billions of dollars, and American citizens pay a lot of tax to help

support those illegal aliens. In the article by FairUS.org, “The Fiscal Burden of Illegal

Immigration on United States Taxpayers,” reported by Matt O’Brien and Spencer Raley

September 2017 states that “ at the federal, state, and local levels taxpayers shell out

approximately one hundred- thirty four point nine billion dollars ($134.9b) to cover the costs

incurred by the presence of more than 12.5 million illegal aliens, and about 4.2 million citizens

of illegal aliens. That amounts to a tax burden of approximately $8,075 per illegal alien family

member and a total of $115 billion” (O’Brien and Raley). U.S citizens pay the prices to take care

of illegal immigrants that’s why the U.S. needs strong borders. Also, the U.S. takes care of illegal

immigrants more than it does to its own U.S veterans that fought for America's freedom. It's not

fair that an illegal immigrant that does not or has not contributed to the U.S receives better help

by the government than a U.S, army veteran. President Donald Trump brought that topic up in

the presidential debate and had disagreed with what has happened and said to fight for better care

of U.S. vets no one deserves more help than the brave men and women that have served this
great country.

In conclusion the migrant caravan should not be allowed in and be granted with asylum

in the U.S. Illegal immigrants receive great benefits from the government and American citizens

pay the price for it. Illegal immigrants are better taken care for than and United States citizens

and military vets, they receive medicaid, cash, food stamps, and affordable housing ( housing

programs). Not all illegal immigrants receive government aid, there are many that rather make it

on their own with no help. Most people do take advantage of government aid and take it to

purchase things that are not needed and some don’t need help but take it to recieve more. If the

caravan succeeds then american citizens are going to pay the price. American citizens have to be

taken care of first, not take care of another countries citizens first.

Work Cited

Migrant caravan: What is it why does it matter” by BBC News, states

Tear gas should never have been used at the border. It doesn’t belong at protests either

New York Times: As Trump Assails Caravan, a Clash Between Migrants and Mexico Police, by
Maya Averbuch and Kirk Semple,

.“Military Time” by Tara Copp,

Youtube video “ Migrant Caravan: Tensions rise in Tijuana | DW News”

“ Mexico: Tijuana declares humanitarian crisis over migrant caravan” by The Guardian

Associated press

Tijuana first!: protest grow against migrant caravan in Mexico”, by The Guardian

reporter Sarah Kinosian,

The Benefits of Keeping the Caravan in Tijuana by Andrews R. Arthur

FairUS.org, “The Fiscal Burden of Illegal Immigration on United States Taxpayers,”

reported by Matt O’Brien and Spencer Raley