Hundreds of Central American migrants have organized and banded together on a journey to the US border, and right-wing media and President Donald Trump are reacting with outrage, even describing the caravan as an “act of war” against America.
“INVASION: Army of Illegal Migrants Is Marching Its Way Through Mexico to U.S. Border,” reads a Friday headline on the Gateway Pundit. The piece describes the group as a “horde” of “invading migrants” who are “organized into groups and sub-groups like an army.”
The migrants—roughly 80 percent Honduran—are walking through 90-degree heat from south to north through Mexico, according to Adolfo Flores, a reporter documenting the journey for BuzzFeed News. He notes that yes, the group has organized into groups of 10-15 people, and there are committees to organize security, food, and logistics, but it’s “meant to help the migrants empower themselves.”
My first dispatch while on the trail with hundreds of Central Americans who have boldly crossed immigration check points, military bases, & police in a desperate, sometimes chaotic march toward the US https://t.co/cf2rnzbp3n
— Adolfo Flores (@aflores) March 30, 2018
The march, part political theater and part exodus, was organized by Pueblos Sin Fronteras, (“People Without Borders”), a migrant advocacy and support organization. It replicates, in a large-scale version, the journey tens of thousands of people from all over Central America and Mexico have made over the years trying to get to the US while fleeing conditions back in their home countries. Making the journey as part of a large group not only draws attention to their cause; it’s also much safer. Traveling alone or in very small groups, they’re much more likely to be harassed and assaulted by authorities or bandits who are known to rob migrants along the journey. In 2010, 72 migrants traveling a similar route were executed by members of…
