By Evie Fordham
Another Central American migrant caravan is reportedly forming, but its final destination is not the U.S.-Mexico border, according to immigration activists and Mexican media.
As many as 15,000 people could travel in the migrant caravan scheduled to leave Honduras Jan. 15, according to reports cited by The San Diego Union-Tribune.
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“We assume that this caravan … will pick up more people in El Salvador and Guatemala. But their aim is to arrive in Chiapas and request work there,” Irma Garrido of migrant advocate group Reactiva Tijuana Foundation said according to a story by Mexico News Daily Monday.
…..Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador are doing nothing for the United States but taking our money. Word is that a new Caravan is forming in Honduras and they are doing nothing about it. We will be cutting off all aid to these 3 countries – taking advantage of U.S. for years!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2018
President Donald Trump tweeted about the caravan Friday morning and discussed closing the U.S.-Mexico border and ending U.S. foreign aid to Central American countries. (RELATED: Union Accuses Trump Of Taking The Highest-Paid Federal Employees ‘Hostage’ Over Shutdown)
“Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador are doing nothing for the United States but taking our money. Word is that a new Caravan is forming in Honduras and they are doing nothing about it. We will be cutting off all aid to these 3 countries – taking advantage of U.S. for years!” Trump wrote on Twitter.
His tweet came just a few weeks after the U.S. promised $5.8 billion in aid and investment to Central American countries Dec. 18, reported The Associated Press.
But the migrants may not try to make it to the U.S. and instead are interested in working on railroad and reforestation projects announced by Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, reported Mexico Daily News.
Many asylum seekers are still on the Mexico side of the border and have been for months because of the Trump administration’s new directive of requiring them to wait in Mexico while their claims are processed. The directive is likely to be challenged in courtby immigration-rights groups who argue it violates international laws and the Constitution’s guarantee of due process.
Thousands of caravan members are temporarily staying in the Mexican city of Tijuana and costing the city roughly $28,000 a day, Tijuana Mayor Juan Manuel Gastelum revealed.
Several caravans of Central American migrants headed for the U.S. border have made their way north in 2018. One caravan was set to arrive around the time of the November midterm elections and ignited a firestorm of debate on both the left and the right.
News of the potential 2019 caravan comes as Congress is at a stalemate over a government shutdown triggered by Democrats’ refusal to support funding for Trump’s border wall.
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